


Condolescence

by sserpente



Category: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood Play, F/M, Feeding, Fluff, Kind of angsty, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Smut, Smut and Fluff, Tom Hiddleston Characters - Freeform, Vampire Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2018-09-25 00:36:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 35,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9794579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sserpente/pseuds/sserpente
Summary: Excerpt: His lips were pressed together tightly as he reached out his hand, offering her to help her back on her feet. Hesitant at first, she obliged, her eyes still widened in shock as she took it with trembling fingers, flinching when his cool skin touched hers.There was no explanation needed. She had been straitened and he had been the honourable hero saving her. Wondering where he had come from was not important. Tal rubbed the bluish coloured crook of her arm when her lips parted, words not coming easily after overworking her voice this much. “Thank you.” The stranger nodded. “Where do you live?” His voice was as mysterious as his appearance. Heavy with a formal British accent, it was a little throaty but soft. Instantly, she knew that she could spend hours listening to him.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! If you follow me on Tumblr, you already know I have announced this little something quite a while ago, so now, finally, here we are! I will update the tags/warnings along with posting the chapters, other than that you will notice that Eve is dead in this fanfiction. I needed to get rid of her for my OFC *giggles*, hence the "Major Character Death" warning.
> 
> But enough talk. I hope you enjoy! :-)

“Chris… Chris, slow down, I can’t walk this fast in high heels!“

It was a fresh night in Detroit, with cold wind rustling through the eerie alleys and the broken windows of abandoned houses in the suburbs, lonely street lanterns flickering as they threw weak and yellow light onto the dirty asphalt, the beam hardly big enough to orient oneself in the dark and the barely audible sound of stray cats echoing through the oppressive silence, drowning the clattering of heels on the street.

“Come on, Tal, hurry up.”

They seemed like a happy and young couple from afar, enjoying youth and tasting freedom before adulthood would outrun them, forcing them into lives full of worries, lies and pain.

Adam scoffed, the quiet noise immediately drowned by his heavy and dark curtains, hiding him from the outside world. If only they knew _his_ suffering when time would not pass. When hours, days, months and years of loneliness and grief went by, mercilessly driving him to his knees.

“Chris… where are we heading? I’m cold, we should go home. It’s past midnight already.” The girl, he hadn’t quite caught her name, was wearing a purple dress, her feminine shoes of a matching colour. Unlike her casually dressed boyfriend’s, a concerned expression was blemishing her innocent face. Her cheeks were reddened from the harsh cold biting at her skin and when Adam looked closely, he could see the warm and sweet blood pumping through the tenuous vein on her neck, partly concealed by waves of brunette hair. She was pretty. For a zombie.

“Chris! Chris, where are you taking me?”

The boy stopped dead in his tracks, his brown hair covering one of his eyes in an intimidating manner. A devilish smile seemed to form on his lips as he reached into an abandoned old car at the side of the road. It was rusty and covered in dirt. But it also served as the perfect hiding place.

Watching how the girl stopped too and slung her arms around her body to prevent herself from freezing any further, he reached inside the broken window and tore apart the dusty fabric of the driver’s seat.

Mere moments later, he held a slim leather belt and a syringe in his hands, a grey liquid shimmering inside of it.

“Chris? Chris, what is this? I don’t want to do that.”

“Oh, shut up, you coward. One shot won’t kill you.”

Shot? Was he trying to drug her? Against her will? Adam clenched his fists, lifting his chin as he weighed his options. Would he bother for a zombie and save her from this endless and deadly spiral of drug use or would he observe silently, minding his own business and working on new music?

“Chris, please, stop! I said stop!”

Ignoring her weak attempts to push him away, the boy did anything but that. Brutally grabbing the right arm of the girl, he bound the slim leather belt around her upper arm, jerking her towards him as he ungently rammed the syringe into the crook of her right arm.

Adam could almost feel the bruise forming on her pale skin as he emptied the medical utensil. The girl’s screams were ear-piercing. Loud and devastated, she abused her vocal folds. No. This was Detroit, the very end of it. There was nobody near who could help her. Nobody but him.

And then she slapped him. A loud smack echoed through the cold air as her left palm connected to the boy’s cheek, the rude impact forcing his head aside. The syringe mutely dropped to the floor but there was no one paying attention. The boy grunted, gnashing his teeth as he shot his girlfriend a threatening glare, ready to make her pay.

“You just fucking punched me.” He stated quietly, his hand briefly rubbing over the red spot forming on his cheek.

“Chris, please, listen to reason.”

But again, the male zombie didn’t listen. A simple step forward and a vigorous push was all it took for the girl to fall to the ground, her palms and elbows breaking her pale skin as it made contact with the hard and rough asphalt. Pain flooded her body like electricity when another scream escaped her lips, the boy hovering above her with a furious sparkling in his eyes. The moment he kicked her ribs for the first time, something inside the vampire snapped. Had he just… flinched?

Taking a deep breath, Adam stepped away from the window and let the heavy curtain fall back in place before he hurried downstairs, not even bothering to grab his black leather jacket in the process. He stormed out of the door too fast for himself to change his mind and then started at the young couple, now only a few feet away from him.

The picture revealing itself to him was horrifying. There she was, lying on the floor with her hands and arms trying to cover her tearstained face, to protect it from the boy’s aggressive hacks and expecting the next inevitable blow, knocking all air out of her body.

It never came. What followed was a dull thump, a muffled cry and lastly, the sound of a fist forcefully connecting to bones.

Chris dropped to the ground, unconscious and looking like a picture of pure misery with his limbs twisted in a gross and painful way, his eyes shut and his mouth slightly open.

The girl swallowed thickly when she finally dared to lift her gaze, spotting a stranger dressed in tight leather pants and a dark and old-fashioned shirt. His shoulder-length black hair framed his flawless face, a five o’clock shadow adding mysterious shadows to his features.

His lips were pressed together tightly as he reached out his hand, offering her to help her back on her feet. Hesitant at first, she obliged, her eyes still widened in shock as she took it with trembling fingers, flinching when his cool skin touched hers.

There was no explanation needed. She had been straitened and he had been the honourable hero saving her. Wondering where he had come from was not important.

Tal rubbed the bluish coloured crook of her arm when her lips parted, words not coming easily after overworking her voice this much.

“Thank you.”

The stranger nodded.

“Where do you live?” His voice was as mysterious as his appearance. Heavy with a formal British accent, it was a little throaty but soft. Instantly, she knew that she could spend hours listening to him.

“Michigan Avenue fifty-two.” The girl replied after a moment, still trying to steady her shaky breath.

Adam frowned. He had intended to bring her home and then forget about the unpleasant incidence. No reason would thrive him to ever meet her again, after all. A female zombie, young and inexperienced. He did not have to throw her a second look to realise there was not much she knew about life. But then again, none of them did, for none of them lived for as long as he had already.

“That’s at the other end of the city.”

“Yes.” Still shaking. Uncontrollably. She really was not well.

Fate, however, had its ways of making things complicated. The vampire rushed forward when the girl’s eyes suddenly rolled to the back of her head, her body losing balance completely. He caught her before she fell on the hard asphalt once more, brushing a streak of her brunette hair out of her face before he took another deep breath and effortlessly lifted her up, carrying her across the street and into his house.

What else was there to do? He could not possibly call the police, for they would ask way too many questions and bringing her home now, in this very condition, was irrational.

Adam gently placed her on his bed and threw a blanket over her petite figure, keeping her from freezing any longer.

And then he waited, wondering whether this was possibly the stupidest thing he had ever done. She was one of _them_. There were billions like her. She was worthless and drugged and therefore not even suitable to be fed on, after all.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ain't nearly enough Adam appreciation out there, so let me help you with that. I could watch this movie every day, guys. Enjoy!

Tal’s eyes flew open. She was staring at a dark ceiling, absorbing any light in the large room she was in, with musical instruments, gramophone records and other equipment filling every spare spot.

Mere moments passed until she remembered what had happened and her hand instantaneously flew to the crook of her right arm. Her lips parted when she noticed the mysterious stranger in the dark room, watching her intently as he sat in an armchair, the design of the piece of furniture close to ancient.

“Hello.” It was all he said for a while, not bothering he might disturb her by just silently staring her down.

Tal did not mind. This man had just saved her from her abusive boyfriend, from getting beaten up by a man she had thought to love. She had been wrong.

“Where am I?” Her voice was still weak, perhaps hardly audible for another zombie. Adam’s hearing, however, was keen. He would have heard her if she were a tiny mouse in his basement.

“In my house, right across the street. You blacked out.” He explained calmly, unaffectedly kneading his fingers as he did.

“Oh…” A pause followed. Tal bit her lower lip, looking around the room with utter fascination.

“What did he inject me with? Do you know?” She then asked, not daring to look him in the eye again, for she feared she would get lost. They were, unlike others, of a light blue, hypnotising even.

“No. But the dose sure was really high, you slept for half the day.”

“Half the day? How late is it?”

“It is half past six.” And it was getting dark outside already. He had stayed awake the whole day, watching this defenceless creature on his bed resting and working on washing the drug out of her body, whatever it had been.

“Oh… oh no.” Burying her face in her hands, the girl snuffled.

“Was there someone awaiting you?” Apparently, he was not speaking of her abusive boyfriend. He hoped she would leave the aggressive and manipulative zombie. Her life was too short to be wasted with a dumb and torturing creature such as him.

“I… my boss. My job. I didn’t even call in sick… oh, I’m doomed, she’ll kick me out, this is the second time I missed work…” And she desperately needed to keep the job. It was hard already to pay rent. Duns after duns landed in her letter box, urging her to send the required amount of money to her landlord.

Tal made an effort to get up, her feet hardly connecting to the carpeted floor before she collapsed again, having the stranger bolting to her side.

“Easy. It will take a few more hours for the drugs to be out of your blood system.”

The girl nodded, unable to reply anything else as he helped her back onto the bed, watching her biting her beautifully painted nails.

She was a zombie. But right now, she was helpless. And he would act as the gentleman he had been raised to be back in England and treat her right for as long as she was here.

“I would offer you something to eat but I’m afraid I don’t have anything palatable here. I could order something, what do you prefer? Italian? Chinese?”

Tal looked up, shaking her head in shock.

“Oh no, thank you! You’ve already done so much for me… I really should get going, I bothered you for way too long.”

“I insist. You seem weak. You really should eat. I will not accept you leaving without food.” Adam did not know where these caring words were coming from, neither why, as he realised, they were true. What if she fainted again on her way home, collapsing on the cold pavement outside? He could not have that and it irked him that he seemed to feel that way.

She was human. He was not planning on drinking her and surely her blood was contaminated, never mind the drugs, so why was he bothering? The vampire clenched his fists as he reached for his old-fashioned telephone which he deemed safer to use than his mobile, dialling the number of a local restaurant and ordering a large pizza with vegetables and cheese. Ian was not here anymore to handle it for him, after all. But it was one of those gross and fatty things zombies loved to consume, so he knew. He figured that she would enjoy it.

But now what to do with this woman while he was _waiting_ for her food? Continuing to watch her with hawk eyes might scare her away and oddly, he would not appreciate that. He did not want her to fear him. The way she had looked up at her so-called boyfriend on the street, dodging his blows, had been painful, even for him who had seen so much violence in his long life.

“Is he your boyfriend?” He suddenly heard himself asking, putting down the telephone to sit down on the old leather couch in the middle of the room. Tal frowned, occupied with rubbing the crook of her right arm and still sitting on the edge of the bed. She didn’t look out of place, right where she was. Adam mimicked her expression when he realised.

The puncture on her arm was itching, of course. He scolded himself when he thought about how a petite wound caused by his sharp fangs would look on her pale skin and how the small holes in her neck would make her squirm as they healed so painfully slow. The vampire blinked.

“Yes.” She replied, evidently ashamed of her answer. “I mean… he used to be. I’m not going back to him after what happened yesterday.”

“Did you know he is a drug addict?” Biting her lower lip once more, Tal shook her head.

“Of course not. I would’ve never gotten involved with him if I did.”

Adam only nodded.

“He was the only one who would talk to me. I moved here only five months ago because I was offered a job.” Narrating this to a complete stranger felt indulging, brave even. No. She was being naïve. This man had saved her life. She could tell him how she had ended up with her atrocious attacker.

“Where do you come from then?” His soothing voice sent a shiver down her spine and deep inside, she hoped he would speak more and open up a little. He seemed so farouche, like he was miles away.

“Massachusetts.”

“Then you came a long way.”

Tal nodded. “I love travelling.”

Adam looked up, facing a woman he had known and loved for just the fraction of a second before the indestructible barrier he had built around himself was back. She wasn’t _her_. _This_ was a zombie.

It was the doorbell that interrupted the two of them in their tense conversation after a few more minutes. The stranger stood, pressing his lips together as he did.

“Your food.” He explained before he left the room. Tal could hear footsteps echoing through an old and wooden stairway, his bare feet, as she realised, almost gracefully gliding over the carpets. Shortly after, he returned with a small white pizza box, the bottom moist and warm from the fat in the dough. It hadn’t lacked him generosity to get her more but, despite the hunger she must have felt, Adam assumed this petite girl would eat only so much.

“Please. Sit. Eat.” Adam motioned at the small table in front of the couch, wiping away a few items on it. Nodding shyly, the girl obliged, eyeing him carefully as she sat down next to him and then reached for the Italian food.

“Thank you.” She responded before lustily taking the first bite of one big slice. She had been hungry indeed and, apparently, she hadn’t even known she had been until now. _Zombies._

Naturally, it was hard for her to explain what has happening to her judgemental abilities. She was in the house of a total stranger, accepting food he had just had delivered _just_ for her but still, it was anything but fear she felt. Rather, there was fascination and curiosity.

“You’re not eating?” At least she had manners, waiting patiently to speak until she had swallowed.

“I already had dinner.” And it was not a lie. Luckily, he had bothered to remove the tiny glass he had drunken his blood out of only hours ago.

Moments of silence followed, the sound of absolutely nothing oddly comforting. Adam watched slice after slice disappearing in her mouth, her pink lips shimmering with fat. Occasionally, a few drops of tomato sauce would remain on them after she had taken a bite and she would quickly lick it off with her tongue as her eyes curiously darted around his bedroom.

He should have felt offended, for his private quarters were just that—namely private but for some unknown reason, he did not.

“So… what about all these instruments?” Tal finally asked, her fingertips balancing the last slice of pizza when her gaze finally met his again. He had been watching her all along. Inexplicable how he had been able to ignore the seldom colour of her eyes. They were not particularly shining out or her most beautiful body feature but they were pretty, a deep beige matching her hair colour.

“I like collecting them.” He answered.

“Can you play them?” Her eyes widened as she paid closer attention to the wooden and metal constructions. Some of them seemed ancient and antique, others looked new and ferociously expensive.

“Yes.”

“Every single one of them?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. You… uh… seem to spend a lot of time here then…”

“Yes.”

Tal held back a smirk as she devoured her last piece of pizza. Her rescuer was not all too talkative then. But did it really matter? He had saved her life and she would be thankful for every single word he offered her, even if she should have left the moment she had awoken.

“I really should get going now so I won’t bother you any longer. Thank you again. For everything… I… I’m afraid I don’t know your name.” An embarrassed smile played on her lips as she shoved a brunette streak, which kept falling into her face, behind her ear. _Tremendously_ beautiful., He thought silently. For a zombie, that is.

Was it safe to tell her? By knowing his name she would gain power, significant knowledge about him. Strangely, albeit he believed he could trust the girl. “Adam.”

“Adam. My name is Tallulah. My friends call me Tal.”

“Tal.” It sounded like he was tasting her name, costing every single letter on his tongue. “I would be happy to drive you.”

“No! You’ve done so much… I can’t have you bring me home too, really.”

“Then at least let me give you some money for the bus.”

“It’s… you don’t have to…”

“Please.”

Adam reached for something in his pocket, pulling out a bundle of banknotes. Unwillingly, Tal’s eyes widened. He really was rich then. At least it seemed so.

When he handed her a twenty dollar bill, she took it with a distorted face, clearly uncomfortable with accepting money from a man she had just met and who was, by all means, still a stranger to her.

“So… thank you, Adam.”

The vampire nodded silently before he stood, motioning towards the door.

“Let me show you the way out.”

“Of course.”

“And…” He continued, as they walked down the stairs. “You should probably seek out a doctor… because of the drugs.”

“I… I will, thank you.”

“Do you need a jacket? It is cold outside.”

“No, no thank you. I’ll be fine. I spotted a bus stop right around the corner yesterday night. Goodbye, Adam.”

“Goodbye… Tallulah.” Nodding one last time while sharing a last glance into each other’s eyes, Tal stepped through the threshold and right into the cold November breeze, listening to the wooden and heavy door falling shut behind her as she made her way back home, determined to get to the next bus stop and pounding over this odd and peculiar encounter.

And, no matter how often she shrugged or tried to rub her back, the stinging sensation of someone watching her did not vanish until she had turned around the first corner. There was no way for her to notice Adam observing her through his window, wondering about this ordinary and yet unusual human being.

_No_. Shaking his head, he banned her from his thoughts. He would never see her again anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get in touch with me on Tumblr! @sserpente


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! I'm glad I could find some fellow Adam fanatics! ;-) Enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing!

It was a rare occurrence whenever Adam decided to go out at night and get some fresh air, watching the zombies enjoying music in clubs where they got drunk and sweaty but when he did, he relished his anonymity as he listened to the beats of the songs, the bass reverberating in his chest.

Tonight, he needed distraction. It had been two days now since the incident with the human girl he had rescued from her disgustingly abusive boyfriend. The vampire would be glad to claim he had not thought about her ever since but _that_ would be a lie. The more he had philosophised about her during two long and sleepless days, the more he had concluded that she was unusual, more so than all the other zombies he used to avoid, for the way she had looked at him had been… fascinating. Adam had seen a lot and experienced countless things in so many endless years of living on this neglected planet, surely, however, never a human girl robbing his sleep.

_Tallulah. Tal._ Her name tasted like warm and fresh blood running down his throat.

Not only once had he thought about sinking his sharp fangs into her pale neck, breaking the sensitive and vulnerable skin and drinking from her until she fell unconscious in his arms. He imagined her smell, seducing and alluring and he fantasised about the way her young blood would taste, gathering in his mouth before he swallowed it with relish, closing his eyes in astonishment.

He gnashed his teeth, playing with the plain necklace around his neck as he forced his eyes open again, scolding himself for letting his thoughts wander to the human girl once more. Luckily, he was wearing sunglasses and thus protected and hidden from unwanted observers or nosey zombies disturbing the peace he fought to maintain in the darkest corner of the club.

Something had drawn him here tonight. Whether it was his vampiristic instincts or a simple gut feeling that he had decided to leave his house, he did not know, albeit he was destined to find out only moments after.

When an ear-piercing tumult started a few feet away from where he sat, Adam frowned, clearly bothered by all the careless zombies drinking themselves to death. He chose to ignore it as best as he could until suddenly, he recognised her voice in the loud mess of vulgar screaming and shouting.

_Tal._ Tal was here and she seemed to be in trouble again. The vampire snorted. He was not supposed to be her guardian angel, not assigned to be her personal bodyguard and yet, he felt the painstaking urge to rush to her help once more. After all, there was a particular reason he had chosen this very night to join civilisation.

And the reason, so he knew now, was _her_. Adam got up from his seat so fast the chair almost fell over, clenching his fists as he channelled his way through the crowd of drunk and sweaty people and determined not to touch any of them as he attempted to reach Tallulah. When the vexing human girl finally came into his sight, it was not hard to tell what was going on.

She seemed to have the magic ability to have males harass her. Much to the vampire’s relief, however, her ex-boyfriend was not in sight; instead, there were two strangers picking on the young girl, babbling incomprehensible nonsense as they kept pushing her around, having her yell rude insults. No-one else cared to intervene, nobody else cared to step in and aid her.

Adam felt his fangs growing, the sharp edges gently scratching against his lips. He took a deep breath to hide them from all the cowardly zombies around him before he took a threatening step forward, intending to intimidate Tal’s attackers. They noticed his presence immediately, feeling the sinister danger radiating off him and cautiously backing off simultaneously, their sudden fear smellable.

“Fuck off before I cause you pain.” His voice was dark, hazardous; indicating inevitable harm. The human girl swallowed thickly when she recognised him, pausing in mid-action to freeze on the spot. There was no time for Adam to study her face and watch her beige eyes sparkle with shock and surprise.

“Hey man, we’re all good. We’re just having a little fun, you know?” One of the men raised his hands in defence. “We’re just gonna… you know…” Adam already expected him to shoot forward and attack him, yet, he did nothing as the drunk man’s fist connected with his stomach, sending a dull sound of skin crashing against muscle through the sticky air of the club. The vampire didn’t even flinch as he stared at his attacker. And then suddenly, too fast for a human eye to follow, Adam’s flat palm smacked against the man’s chest, the intense impact lifting him off his feet to send him flying back several feet, where he landed on the dirty ground, grunting in pain.

The other man, who was about to start at him just then, suffered an equally distasteful fate. A blow hit his face only the fraction of a second after, breaking his nose and forcing him to his knees. Tortured moans mixed with the deep bass of the music echoed through the crowded club, causing Tal to step away from her tormentors and fall straight into Adam’s arms.

He caught her effortlessly, his right hand unconsciously sneaking around her waist to support her.

“Get out of here.” The vampire growled, his throaty voice so close to her ear she could feel his hot breath against the soft skin on her neck. Tal blinked, nodding absently before she allowed her saviour to lead her outside the club. There was nobody else watching them or paying any attention to what had happened. _Good_., Adam concluded. The fewer people noticed him, the better, though strangely, learning that all those zombies in the club didn’t even _try_ to help the defenceless girl, felt unbearably bitter on his tongue.

“Are you okay?” The fresh air outside hit them like a slap in the face. Tal sucked a deep breath of the unconsumed oxygen, attempting to calm herself as best as she could. She nodded once more.

“Who were they?” She had almost forgotten how soothing his voice had been, although ever since she had left his house that auspicious night, she couldn’t stop thinking about her mysterious rescuer.

“Friends of my ex-boyfriend.” She replied quietly, trying to regain composure as she gazed around the dark night, the few street lanterns near where they stood on the abandoned pavement spending only so much light. “They wanted money for the portion Chris had injected me with the other night. When I told them that I had broken up with him, they snapped. Called me an ungrateful bitch.” Tal took a deep breath.

“This night was supposed to help me forget what happened,” She continued, closing her eyes as if to refuse to believe what had happened to her. “It was supposed to take my mind off things. I hardly ever go out.”

She was shaking uncontrollably again, however, this time, it was the rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins. Right now, she would have tasted delicious.

_No_. Adam copied her by closing his eyes shut for a brief moment before he forced himself to concentrate on Tal’s eyes again.

“You should have stayed at home for the next couple of days. Those junkies are not to be trust under any circumstances. Do they know where you live?”

“Of course they do. Chris used to come over every other day.”

Adam silenced when it hit him. Tallulah wasn’t safe _anywhere_ , not for the time being. Wherever she went, her ex-boyfriend would be able to find her. Unless…

“I almost lost my job, you know.” She suddenly spoke up again, her voice devastated and sad. “My boss threatened me the next day I arrived at the office. A colleague tried to tell her what had happened to me but she wouldn’t even listen. My career is at stake.”

No, he couldn’t. The temptation… it would be too big and eventually, he would cease to resist her delicious blood any longer. By offering her to stay with him for a little while, he would free her from her abuser’s claws and compel her right into the devil’s. But her company… it felt so _right_.

“Let’s go.” Adam announced scarcely before he gently wrapped his fingers around her slim wrist.

“Where are we going?”

She really was defenceless, so vulnerable. One wrong move, a little too much pressure applied and her weak bones would snap beneath his touch in only the twinkling of an eye. That’s when he knew. He was a creature of darkness and yet, he was the guardian angel who was supposed to take care of her, to protect her. He made his decision fast.

“To my place. Nobody will be able to harm you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr! @sserpente


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! Tell me, how're y'all doin'? As for me, I'm back with a new chapter, so please... enjoy!

Nothing had changed since the last time Tal had been in his big and ancient house in the suburbs. He had led her to his car, an impressive white Jaguar XJ-S from 1986 and, after assuring her that he hadn’t drunk a single drop of alcohol, she had allowed him to open the door for her. They set off, away into the night on the lonely streets until they reached their destination.

“Adam, I can’t stay long. My landlord is cross with me already. If I’m absent tomorrow morning...” Telling him about the fact that with losing her job, she wasn’t able to pay her rent anymore, seemed inappropriate, for last time, the mysterious stranger had slipped her a twenty dollar bill just for her to get home by bus. The ticket had cost her mere five bucks, leaving her with fifteen dollars she had spent on a warm meal the day after. It had been the first one in a long while, minus the delicious pizza Adam had ordered for her.

“There is no way I will let you be on your own tonight. Have you contacted the police about your ex-boyfriend?”

Tal shook her head, unsure of whether she should feel guilty about her confession and making Adam sigh as he offered her to sit down on his couch. He quickly removed the expensive e-guitar from it to place it next to a pair of speakers before he joined her, minding to create enough space between the two of them.

“I didn’t think they would believe me… I have no evidence, after all.” She continued, eyeing the spot he had placed his guitar at. Curiously, she noticed the equipment he used to produce his own music with before she looked him in the eye again, fighting to keep her composure as they tarnished her perception.

“How old are you?” Adam didn’t know where all those questions were coming from. He found himself interested in the human girl, more so than during their first encounter, where she had spent hours sleeping in _his_ bed.

“Twenty-two.”

“And you live in Detroit all on your own?” She had told him she had moved here only few months ago. But there had to be family she could go to, acquaintances she could hide at. She didn’t know yet that she still had to be saved. That the monster she would regret to trust was sitting right next to her in this very moment.

Tal nodded again. “Work has been really exhausting. I haven’t had time to meet new people yet. And then I met Chris. He’d been so nice and… helpful and then…” Quickly, she blinked her tears away.

“You certainly have chosen the wrong place to be at tonight.” The vampire frowned. There were so many tremendous spots she could have gone to, to meet people who shared her intellectuality and her intelligence she obviously seemed to have but instead, she had chosen to join the drunks who had unlearned to appreciate the true meaning of music.

“Isn’t there someone else you could find accommodation at? What about your parents? Do they still live in Massachusetts?”

Instantly, Tal’s face darkened at the mention of her mother and father. Adam frowned once more and he knew before she opened her mouth and explained to him. She had no parents left.

“My… my mum and dad died only a year ago… there… there has been a shooting near where my father worked and my mum had gone to visit him to bring him lunch but… but neither of them returned home that day.” So that was why she carried all that painful grief with her at all times. Adam could feel it, it was almost tangible. This girl had lost her vitality. Very similar to himself.

Her eyes were watering once more as she spoke, with salty tears soon running down her cheeks and wetting her beautiful face. Adam said nothing. He knew what it was like to see someone one held dear die, probably more than anyone else was able to. Battling himself, he resisted placing his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

“I… I was an only child.” She continued, sobbing heavily in the process. “My parents had no siblings either and my grandparents died when I was a kid. I… I had no-one left in Massachusetts, so I decided to start anew and come here.”

Tal didn’t quite understand why she would unburden herself to this intimidating man who, technically, was _still_ a stranger to her. Tonight, she had once more watched him defying strong men without even blinking and she had willingly let him bring her to his house again, whereby she was sure that he wouldn’t have accepted any contradiction.

Somehow, albeit it felt _right_ to open up to him. He wouldn’t tell anyone.

“It’s fucking painful to be alone. To feel lonely.” The vampire finally said, his voice only so loud. Tal had to listen closely to comprehend his words. “A long time ago, I lost what I loved the most. The one thing that kept me going in this decayed world full of greed and spitefulness.” He looked up, locking eyes with her once more. “The only reason I still live is to not disappoint her.”

“I am so sorry.” Tal sniffed, the back of her hands reaching up to her cheeks to wipe away her tears and rub her eyes. “That is terrible. You must have been very close then.”

This time it was Adam who nodded mutely, pressing his lips together as images of his dead wife flashed before his eyes. She was dancing in between stacks of her beloved books, enjoying his music as he silently watched her. She turned around, a pleasant smile on her lips when she took his hands into hers and pressed her body against his, appreciating his presence.

The vampire blinked, banning the sorrowful thoughts from his mind. It had merely been a decade since her passing. Eve would have wanted him to move on and now, there was this strange human girl he seemed not to be able to get rid of. Maybe she had sent her to him. Maybe she wanted him to feel luck again, to remember what it was like to love and to be loved. Or maybe in the end, his disgusting hunger would get the better of him. Speaking of which.

“Are you hungry?” Adam himself had had breakfast before he decided to leave for the one club he had occasionally visited with his now dead wife; and the more he pondered over it, the more he believed that she had indeed sent him there tonight. To give him a new purpose in life; becoming the guardian angel to a girl who had lost everything. A girl who was as lonely as he was.

Somehow, there was a connection between them. A connection Adam couldn’t quite explain, a connection he had never felt before, not even when he had first met Eve those thousands of years ago.

“No… no, thank you. I just… could I get a glass of water? That would be great.”

“Of course. Wait here.” He left the room, having Tal look around in awe in the meanwhile. The many instruments and music equipment in the room didn’t fail to impress her once more, having her wonder whether he produced his own. The reason she had gone to this club in particular was that she liked the kind of music they played there. The dark sounds of e-guitars were thoroughly bewitching and now Adam seemed to like this kind of music too. Maybe they had something in common. Maybe he _did_ produce his own music.

Tal mentally made a note to herself to ask him about it later.

It was then the vampire returned with a glass of water, handing it to her without a word.

“Thank you.”

She forced herself to smile as she took it from his hands, cupping it with her palms and taking a few sips. Adam kept forgetting how water was as essential for humans to survive as blood was to him.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” She suddenly asked. “You don’t even know me.”

“It is a matter of course to aid a young woman in adversity.” He choked on his _whether they are zombies or not_. “You are right, I don’t know you. But I want to _get_ to know you.” Startled, he sat down again as she emptied the glass. It was true. He _did_ want to get to know her. See where it would take him. If she happened to endanger his existence at some point, he could still get rid of her. His heart ached the very thought of it.

“You are my guardian angel.” She murmured with a shy smile on her lips.

Adam snorted mutely. She’d said it exactly like he had put it before. He inched closer to her, a severe expression on his face. Resisting her was impossible. There was a craving lust burning deep inside of him, a hunger that, when defeated and given in to, wouldn’t only satisfy his aching fangs.

How could he possibly feel this way towards a human girl? A zombie? How could his heart begin to pound in his chest like a steam hammer, every cell of him wanting to be close to her?

“I was trying so hard to stay away from you. But I can’t.” He admitted quietly, his gaze never leaving hers.

Unable to look away, the fascinating sparkling in her beige eyes confused Adam. His heart softened when he looked into them and he felt the sudden urge to touch her, to connect his cold skin with hers. And so he did. Slowly, he brought up his right arm to cup her cheek with his palm, his cool fingertips brushing against her skin.

For a zombie, she felt incredibly soft. So pure and untouched, not only on the outside but more so on the inside. She must have been a virgin as well.

“Then don’t.” She whispered equally quiet as her lips parted, allowing Adam to lean in even closer to her. Way closer than he should have.

His hot breath brushed against her lips, their faces only mere inches from each other.

With a mute sigh, he pressed his mouth onto hers, holding back a relished moan as he finally tasted her. So sweet, like honey or the fruitiest strawberry. Her lips were smooth, soft and so innocent, her movements inexperienced, he noticed, when she hesitantly moved her mouth against his, trapping his upper lip between hers.

Adam stifled another moan. Carefully taking the breakable glass out of her hands and putting it on the small table next to the couch, he placed his hands on her waist to pull her closer. She felt incredible. Ravishing, even. He didn’t want to let go ever again, for she tasted like a drug he was addicted to now, so perhaps he just wouldn’t.

Perhaps, he would keep her with him to seek for her touches, to press her close whenever he longed for it. _He wanted her_. It was the only thing he could muster in this very moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr! @sserpente


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! I got a little busy at university, so I'm sorry for the delay but here I am now! Enjoy!

Adam pulled away way too soon for his liking. Kissing her felt like drinking her blood, slowly sucking out sip after sip, devouring her as he swallowed her sweet life essence. Alarmed, he moved away, scared for he would lose his hard-won composure and harm her. He couldn’t. He was her guardian angel, after all.

Tal smiled when she opened her eyes and he realised just then that she must have closed them during the kiss, just like him. Eve would have raved about the intimate moment he had just shared with this human girl. It had felt like magic, like something he had never experienced before, although he had been on this planet for so many years already.

He would give anything to feel her soft lips on his again, to press her close against his body and protect her from all the pain she could possibly be threatened to undergo. It was like he had been cursed.

“You, uh…” Adam cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably on his seat as he pressed his lips together. “You really want me to bring you home?”

“Please.” She replied, a hesitant expression distorting her beautiful features for only the fraction of a second. The vampire noticed nonetheless. “I would love to stay but I can’t. My landlord, I… it’s complicated.”

Nodding, he briefly closed his eyes before he got up and rushed over to his desk, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, quickly scribbling a few numbers onto it.

Here. Take this with you. It’s my telephone number. If you ever need something… or if you need somebody to talk. Call me.” He couldn’t quite believe those trusting words that were coming out of his mouth. Tal nodded gratefully as she took the piece of paper from his hand, their fingers brushing against each other in the process.

“Will you let me drive you tonight?” The vampire asked, attempting not to focus on the yielding electricity flowing through his fingertips as his skin connected with hers.

She nodded mutely, her shy smile growing the slightest bit before she got up as well and followed him outside, back to his impressive car. She didn’t notice when he exhaled loudly, relieved about the fact it had been easy to convince her that easily. This time, it would have been way too dangerous for her to return home all on her own, besides, it was still dark outside. How would he explain her that he couldn’t come in contact with sunlight, after all? How would he _ever_ let her know about all his strange habits he could not tell her about? Sooner or later, so he knew, he would have to abandon her and leave her to herself.

_Yes._ Attempting to persuade himself, he nodded at the stirring wheel before he started the engine, the sound of it roaring to life and humming quietly as she fastened her seat belt and they took off. He would have to abandon her but before, he would make sure she was safe. Kill those disgusting zombies that had threatened to harm her if necessary and then perhaps watch her from afar how she grew old and died.

His life really was a miserable one and even worse was that he feared that he would not be able to stay away from this fascinating girl.

_It’s fate, my love. Embrace it enjoy your life, enjoy the gift eternity has given you._ Instantly, his fingers clenched tighter around the stirring wheel as he followed the main road to Tal’s home, the navigation system occasionally bleeping for directions.

It was Eve’s voice that haunted him, softly taunting him for letting go of this opportunity.

But he could not possibly… she was mortal. He had allowed himself to fall for a woman once, this one time he had been happy but life… no. He shook his head. That wasn’t right. Not life. The devil. The devil himself had ripped it from him and now he had come to gloat.

If he ever let himself love someone again… he was not sure he would be capable of coping with the pain when the person left his life as abruptly as they had entered it.

“It’s right around the corner.” Tal’s shy voice interrupted him. Her thin finger pointed to his left before the navigation system in his car got to bleep.

When he stopped right in front of the building she lived in, neither of them spoke a word, silence spreading in the room like smoke. Tal did not move.

“Thank you,” She began quietly, the words barely audible if it weren’t for his supernatural hearing. “…for bringing me home.”

Adam nodded silently. After decades of playing with words to achieve his honourable ends, there he was, not knowing what to say.

Should he mention the kiss? How would he say goodbye? Would he crash her hopes like a wave breaking at the shore? Or would he ask to see her again? How did dates actually work these days? How were you to impress a lady?

It had been a long time since the vampire had needed to seduce a woman, after all.

Tal cleared her throat, climbing out of the car.

“Where are your keys?” He suddenly asked, cursing himself only a second after. Her keys. Why would he bother about her keys? If she had lost them in the club, she would have to call the locksmith, it was none of his concern.

“Hidden under the doormat. I never take them with me when I go out.” She explained with a light smile. Then, she hesitated, biting her lower lip as if to urge Adam to suck on it gently. He wanted to. Right now, he wanted to do it more than anything, more than slicing open her throat with his sharp canines and drinking her blood.

_No._ He could not allow these kinds of thoughts.

“Alright. Good night, Tallulah.” _There_. Eve’s soothing voice sounded in his head. _It’s not so hard, my love._

“Good night… Adam.” She smiled one last time before she turned, causing his blue gaze to stare at her petite back as she walked inside.

Another minute of uncomfortable silence and torturing thoughts followed before he drove away. It was like his soul was telling him, screaming at him to return to her, be close to her and stay.

No. He could not. He did not believe in soul mates, not anymore. This was rubbish. He would forget about her, staying within reach in case she ever needed his help again, although simultaneously, all he wished for was for her to be near him.

It was confusing, nerve-wrecking even.

Tal was still smiling as she entered the hallway of the building she lived in, snatching her keys from under the doormat before her eyes fell on her mailbox.

A letter, covered in a mint green envelope stuck out of the small slit, catching her attention. She frowned, taking it out to examine it closely. It was from her landlord and she sure knew that it promised no good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr! @sserpente


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Enjoy the next chapter, will you? ♥

“So what are you gonna do?“ The letter had been short and to the point. Tal had one week to get her belongings and herself out of that flat, for her lease had been cancelled without notice. She was at work now, showing up with reddened cheeks, tear-streaked and more tired than usual, where one of her colleagues, a young man called Jack in his mid-thirties, had immediately noticed her heartbreaking desperation. He had also been the one defending her when she hadn’t appeared for work the other day, for he was the only one she had told about the drug incident and thus the only reason she was still working in this company in the first place. At least she hoped so.

Her boss—a beasty woman with short black hair—had already thrown her a suspicious look upon her arrival this morning.

“I-I… I really don’t know.” Tal replied weakly. Drowning herself in work was the only plan she had for now. She would worry about her home after finishing time.

Briefly, she had even considered calling Adam just like he had told her to last night—though she didn’t know what for anyway. Surely, she wouldn’t ask him for money. In fact, she would outright refuse to take any and right now, it was too late anyway.

She couldn’t possibly stay with her ex-boyfriend, other than that, however, there were no friends of hers to rely on. Tal was helpless and on top of that, homeless soon.

More, hot tears threatened to roll down her already wet cheeks as she finished her last report for the day and then grabbed her bag in an attempt to call it a night. It was then she heard her boss speak her name from her private office. Instantly, she feared the worst, shooting her colleague an uneasy look before she got up.

“Tell me then.” He stated quietly. Tal nodded mutely in response, unable to speak.

“Miss Blaire, can you imagine why I want to talk to you at this hour?” Her bosses’ arms were crossed in a strict manner as she hesitantly sat down, her scrutinising gaze boring into her like sharp daggers.

Hesitantly, she cleared her throat. “No, Miss. I don’t know.”

“Well, I know exactly why. You haven’t showed up for work without a word for the third time in a row now, even after me giving you a clear warning. Miss Blaire, I can’t have that. I am sure there are many people out there who are only waiting for a job opportunity like this. Watching how you just throw it away causes me actual physical pain. I am truly sorry but I’m gonna have to discharge you.”

Tal’s heart skipped a beat, her lips parted in shock. “No, wait, please don’t do that! I have… I mean… it won’t happen again. You have to understand, my ex-boyfriend had me—“

“ _I’m sorry_ , Miss Blaire. You have had a chance to improve yourself but you haven’t. You will receive the confirmation of your dismissal within the next few days per e-mail.”

The young woman closed her eyes. _Please_ , she prayed. _Please, let this all be a horrible nightmare_. No matter how hard she tried to wake up, however, she remained in the office, about to leave it for the last time.

Nodding mutely, she stood again, heading back to her desk to get ahold of her bag and jacket.

Jack shot her a questioning look, curious about what she had been told.

She simply shook her head before she picked up her pace. And so she ran, out of the department, out of the god damn building and away from one dreadful problem to face the next.

_Why me? Why out of all people does it have to be me? What have I done? Why do I deserve this?_

Her flat wasn’t far from where she lived. Running past confused passengers and driving cars which threw eerie lights into the darkness of the city, her perception became clouded. Tears were worsening her sight, her surroundings nothing but a blur when she finally reached her apartment and stormed inside.

It was then she collided with something solid. Two strong hands firmly grabbed her upper arms to stop her from falling. Tal realised it was a body, covered in black clothes and a leather jacket, she had run into.

Taking a deep breath the young woman looked up, preparing to apologise. It was Adam. He flinched when she sobbed again, literally throwing herself into his arms and crying for what felt like several minutes until he could finally gently push her away about an arm-length to look her in the eye.

“What happened?” He asked quietly, his voice so soft it soothed her immediately. Little did she know that he was unconsciously using his powers on her, for vampires possessed an extraordinary sense of empathy to calm down their prey long enough for them to stop resisting and give in to the inevitable bite and death.

“Everything,” Her voice was but a mere whisper and so heavy with sadness and grief that it threatened to tear Adam’s heart in two. “Everything happened. I’m getting kicked out of this place, I got fired today… I’m gonna be homeless,” A loud sob shook through her. “I’m gonna be homeless and I’m gonna starve in the cold of Chicago.”

“No such thing will happen to you. I won’t let it.” Again, he held her close, pressing her head against his chest. For the moment, he didn’t even care if she would notice the lack of a heartbeat in his chest. Tallulah was upset. She needed him. He had made the right choice in coming back for her.

“Come to my place. Let’s pack your stuff and then head there. We’ll be finished before the sun is up again.”

“Adam, no… I can’t just…”

“You can.” He interrupted sharply. Clearly, his tone allowed no contradiction as he led her upstairs and silently watched her unlocking the door of her apartment with shaking fingers.

The silence was almost unbearable. “I will help you. Is any of the furniture yours?”

“Only the TV, everything else was there already.”

“Alright. Have you got a suitcase?”

Tal nodded, heading for her bedroom to grab ahold of a purple suitcase and a battered sports bag she kept in her wardrobe. When she brought it to the kitchen to place it on the table, Adam nodded.

“I can get your stuff from the bathroom if that’s okay. Go pack your clothes in the meantime.”

“Yes, okay.”

There wasn’t much she owned. After a short period of time already, when the clock stroke midnight and there were done, they checked one last time whether they had packed everything before Adam mutely led her back outside and to his car.

Right before they left and while the vampire tucked her suitcase, sports bag and purse in his trunk, he silently watched her tossing her apartment keys into her now former post in the mailbox.

* * *

She was back too soon, ascending the wooden stairs to his living room before the night had ended and sitting on his black leather couch like no time had passed since he had once more rescued her from violent men.

Her tears had dried by now, for she was merely shook by dry sobs that occasionally broke the comfortable silence.

Adam didn’t quite know how to approach her. He knew despite his deepest desires that the kiss had been wrong, that he should stay away from her and let her live her life without a blood-sucking monster ending it eventually.

Only he was too weak to let her go and now he wasn’t even sure whether he would be able to comfort her. His own grief and sadness had dug its fingers deep into his soul, slowly killing him from the inside out.

Nothing was the same ever since Eve had died under those dreadful circumstances. She did not deserve that and neither did he. Damned to his endless existence, all alone in this world—it was terrifying. And now here he was, sharing his house with a zombie whom he had taken a liking into.

Her beauty was stunning, even with her beige eyes red from crying. What had he been thinking? What if he kissed her again? What if he lost control and bit her? That, so he knew, he couldn’t ever forgive himself. He was an artist—and destroying such a pretty piece of art was beyond him.

“D-do you… do you make your own music here?” She suddenly asked quietly, her voice heavy with hesitance.

_Yes. Yes of course. Talking would distract her._

“I do.”

“So you’re a musician.”

“Yes.”

“You really seem to like that word.” She giggled, her grief forgotten for only a brief moment.

Adam only frowned in response. “Excuse me?”

“You say ‘Yes’ a lot, that’s… it’s fine, I just thought it was funny. Adam, I… I have to thank you again. Only hours ago I wondered what I had done to deserve losing everything I held dear all at once but now that I’m with you, I keep asking myself how I’d possibly deserve someone as kind as you. You must be a fallen angel.”

_No_. He thought, his eyes fixating the carpeted floor. _I’m a monster. That’s what we do. We lure you to safety, pretend you are protected with us. And then we pounce._

“You’re welcome.”

“So… C-can I… can I hear some of it? Y-your music, I mean.”

“No!” He suddenly snapped. Adam scolded himself, closing his blue eyes for only a brief second before looking at her again, wondering whether he had made it worse. How could he be so tactless anyway? This poor woman right in front of him was suffering, jobless and, without him, homeless.

Tad, however, had only flinched and then forced herself to smile. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry… it’s private.”

“No, I understand, it’s okay.”

“You should go to bed… and recover. I will sleep on the couch.” He added quickly. And while she was resting, he would come up with some excuses for his unusual lifestyle. How would he explain that he had no food whatsoever in his house? How would he come up with a solution for his odd sleeping rhythm? Could he possibly ask her to adjust to his so they could spend time together?

Maybe he would. Maybe this could actually work provided that he succeeded in controlling his hunger. The blood he would be hiding in the cellar, locked in a small fridge whose key he would keep with him at all times.

Sighing soundlessly, he watched Tal nod as she rubbed her eyes and mumbled another quiet _Thank you,_ then slowly marched toward his bed. She was concealed by his black sheets only the fraction of a second later, with her eyes shut close. She was tired, drained from this awful day.

They would talk tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chat me up on Tumblr! @sserpente


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! Thank you all so much for all the feedback! I really appreciate it and I hope to hear from all of you! As usual, have fun reading!

Adam attempted to sleep that night, for he would need his energy and a cool head but most of all—he had to be able to control himself. Tal had no idea how alluring she looked when she slumbered. Her wavy brunette hair fell over her shoulders, hiding that deliciously pale neck. If he listened closely, he could hear the blood pumping through her veins, luring and seducing him.

Of course he couldn’t find some sleep himself, no matter how hard he tried. He kept forcing his eyes shut, turning restlessly on his black couch but whatever he did, he remained awake.

 _Ridiculous_ , he scolded himself. He was a vampire, after all, an eerie creature of the night. How could he possibly sleep when it was dark outside, when the night embraced his tall figure protectively, hiding him from unwanted eyes so he would ambush his prey?

* * *

When it finally dawned, Tal shifted uneasily on his bed. She stretched, sighing softly as she opened her eyes and then, with a start, remembered what had happened last evening.

Instantly, she sat up straight, her beige eyes darting through the room to find Adam watching her like he had the night they had met. Only this time his impressive form was spread out on the black leather couch, his eyes closed, his flawless features relaxed. He was still sleeping, she figured.

Not wanting to wake him, she got out of the comfortable and warm bed, tiptoeing over to her suitcase to search for her toilet bag. Apparently, the rustling woke him, after all.

“Good morning. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake you. Can I… can I use the bathroom?”

 _The bathroom._ Adam sighed mutely, relieved that he had finally bothered to move his blood supplies to the cellar. Closing his eyes in a tired manner, he nodded.

“Of course. In the hallway, the first door on your right.”

“Thank you.”

Waiting until she had disappeared, he sat up, rubbing his palms over his eyes in an attempt to see a little clearer. How long had he slept? It felt like mere minutes but still, there was no reason for him to complain. He had asked Tal to move in with him, at least for the time being, so he would have to deal with the consequences. He really needed to talk to her today, for he couldn’t possibly stop sleeping, apart from that, she needed sustenance. He would give her money and send her out, asking her to buy whatever she wanted.

Five minutes later, the brunette girl returned. She was smiling when she saw him sitting there, his elbows propped up on his knees.

“You look tired.” She stated quietly, frowning in a concerned manner as she did. When she moved to join him, he resisted the urge to move away. As for now, he was hungry. He needed blood and every time he breathed in, he could smell that delicious essence of life pulsing under her skin.

“I barely slept.” He replied.

“Let me sleep on the couch from now on. It’s your house, after all. And your bed.”

“There is no need.”

“Please don’t make me feel bad. I already feel so guilty because I practically… never mind. _I_ will sleep on the couch.”

“There is another bedroom downstairs. I will move your luggage there if you insist.”

Tal smiled once more; Adam nearly flinched. It was heart-warming. “Thank you. I could make us some breakfast?”

“No, thank you… I don’t have breakfast. I’m… not hungry in the morning.” He quickly responded, kneading his fingers rather nervously in the process.

“Look… there isn’t much food left.” _There is no food at all_ , he added silently as he pulled out another bundle of bank notes. “Take this and go buy whatever you like. I usually go out for dinner and I never cook, actually.” At least, that was a half true.

Tal’s lips parted in protest, this time, however, she knew better than to refuse. Defeated, she nodded a little confused before she accepted the bundle of bank notes he handed her.

“Also, I…” _Dear…_ How was he supposed to explain her that he usually slept during the day? “My sleeping rhythm is all over the place. I prefer to work on my music at night so I normally sleep when there is broad daylight outside. You should know.”

Instantly, her smile was back and she nodded again. “Of course. I will not disturb you. Maybe I could adjust my sleeping rhythm to yours? So we could… I mean… spend some time together regardless?” Perhaps this was how real rockstars lived. She chose not to pound on it. Adam had taken her in when she would have been homeless and without a job and she was grateful for that, despite she still didn’t really know him yet, despite his habits seemed strange and despite they had… kissed.

The vampire himself replied nothing then. Tal took his embarrassing and pathetic excuses without questioning them, surprising both him and herself in the process. All he could think of now, however, was how much he craved to break the soft skin of her neck, to bury his sharp fangs in her flesh and drink until the hot feeling of hunger surging through him like electricity finally left him.

“I would appreciate that. Go now, you must be hungry.” So he could finally have a glass of ice cold blood for breakfast.

* * *

It was all irrational. Dangerous, thoughtless… with a loud crack, the drumstick he was holding broke in two but Adam didn’t even flinch. After he had had breakfast and decided it was pointless to go back to sleep now, he settled for working on his new record.

He still had to find someone to bring them to the public, someone who would accept the fact he wanted to remain unknown, at any cost.

His concern right now, however, was how he was going to manage to live with a human. A zombie. What had driven him? Tal had been so desperate, so broken, defenceless and helpless. He had felt obliged to help her, especially after he had so mindlessly kissed her. It shouldn’t have happened, not so soon and still… he wished he could do it again.

Closing his eyes in a tortured manner, the vampire could see Eve’s face before him smiling down at him tauntingly.

_There is no need to wrong your feelings. You need to live, my love._

“She’s a zombie, Eve. A fucking zombie.” He said aloud, gnashing his teeth as he did.

_Ian was a zombie and you liked him regardless. You have lived for so long, my love. You can control yourself, I know you can. Let her in. You deserve so much affection and yet you conceal yourself from the world. It has changed but it still has so many beautiful things to offer._

It was like she was standing next to him, whispering into his ear. Almost, he could feel the light touch of her cool fingers on his skin and how she brushed a streak of his black her out of his face before she leaned down and kissed him tenderly.

Adam forced his gaze to his hands which were still holding the now broken wood of the drumstick. Fortunately, it hadn’t been a special or particularly old one. He despised breaking valuable and meaningful things from the past.

Mere seconds later, he could hear the door being opened. Tallulah was back, her hands, so he spotted when he stepped into the hallway and peered downstairs, struggling to hold two brown bags full of food. There were cans, vegetables, fruits, pasta and other things among them, all of which she could cook with. And still, when she greeted him and let him show her the way to the kitchen where she could store it all away, she returned the remaining money he had given her—it was much, not even half of it was gone.

“I didn’t know what you like so I bought a bit of everything. Thank you so much, Adam. I promise, I won’t stay for too long. In fact, I will start searching for a new job today.”

The vampire only shook his head. He was rather embarrassed his kitchen was so dusty and not at all suitable to be cooked in. Also, he tried hard to ignore her asking about his favourite food.

 _O negative_ , he told her in his mind, imagining her confused and terrified expression.

“Take your time. You can stay for as long as you want.” His own words scared him, for deep inside, he knew he didn’t mind her presence at all. His hunger, the monster inside of him was ready to pounce on her in her sleep, when she wandered, unknowing of the threat he posed to her, through her dreams, peacefully and innocently.

But no. _He_ —he wanted her to stay, wanted her close, feel her body, talk to her, listen to her soft voice, spend time with her. It was against all reason, it was against his nature but maybe Eve was right.

Maybe he could indeed do with a little affection and give love a second chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to check my Tumblr! @sserpente & let me know what you think! Adam and Tal, could this work?


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! How are you guys? Please, enjoy the next chapter! ;-)

One week went by. A week where Tal would frantically search the Internet on Adam’s laptop to find a new job, a new accommodation, anything to stop scrounging from him as fast as possible. The vampire didn’t seem to mind, even if his beautiful face distorted every time she shyly spoke of all the money he kept offering her.

“I have enough of it, Tallulah. Please, just take it.” He would say strictly, his blue eyes glaring at her in a taunting manner. And then, Tal would shrink on his old couch, nodding mutely as if to accept her lucky defeat.

As promised, the brunette girl had managed to adjust her sleeping schedule to Adam’s. Although she would still fall asleep around three am in the morning, she fought hard to stay awake for as long as she could, night after night to talk and get to know the man who had saved her life twice.

She found out that he loved music of any genre and history, science and all kinds of instruments. Despite he still refused to play her his very own compositions, he told her about his favourite artists and even allowed her to explore the house with him—apart from the cellar, that is.

Tal was entranced by everything he said to her, rapt by all the unusual, old or self-made things she spotted in his home. He figured that she was one to be easily entertained and delighted, happy with the simplest things and so unlike any other zombie he had ever encountered. She valued friendship, nature, love and life, her biggest dream was it to travel the world and learn the most beautiful languages and although she had struggled so much with making a living as of recent, she tried to live life to the fullest, to enjoy every second of it.

“Life is so short,” She had told him one night, her enchanting eyes already closed, beaten by tiredness and exhaustion. “Way too short to be wasted. That’s why I want to try and live every day like it was my last.”

Adam found himself more intrigued by the girl with every hour they spent together. Her cordial attitude reminded him of Eve, of her lust for new things and her appreciation for what others, especially ungrateful zombies, never even paid proper attention to. None of what had happened to her had she deserved. Not an abusive and drug addicted boyfriend, not a cunning beast of a boss, not an unrelenting landlord.

The more he was around her, however, the more his eerie blood lust increased. Whenever he closed his eyes, ravishing a glass of blood in the cellar before going to sleep or after waking up day after day, he would imagine Tal’s soft and pale neck, her hot skin against his lips as he sank his sharp fangs into her sweet flesh, tasting the powerful life essence in her bluish veins as she panted from pain and pleasure, digging her nails into his shoulders.

He knew this wasn’t just hunger, a need to satisfy his inner monster. No. He was falling in love, ever since he had first kissed her and felt her smooth and warm lips against his. Not in the literal sense, he had tasted blood and now, he wanted more of it. He _needed_ more of it.

It was a dangerous game he was playing, a game he had unwillingly started without wanting it and yet, he would not trade it for a second. Tal was giving him what little joy he had left. She gave him what only Eve had been able to give him all those years ago.

Years ago, where the only thing keeping him alive was the promise he had given his beloved wife before she had died—that he would not follow her into death, that he would not end his life and throw it away because of her ceasing presence.

Now there was Tal. She needed him. He could help her, care for her, despite she was human and a mortal. In a few decades already, if she stayed with him, she would notice he did not age. She would notice he never actually ate the food she left him to warm up in an old microwave before she went to sleep and she would come to understand that he avoided the sun on purpose. But until then, he would be there for her.

“Ow! _Shit!_ ” Startled, he turned on his heel, approaching the kitchen with but a few quick steps. Tallulah was facing the counter, offering him a seductive view of her back. Her right hand dropped a knife she had been using to chop vegetables, the handle black, the blade silver and sharp and… covered in blood.

Instantly, the alluring scent of it crawled towards him, embraced him and urging him to taste it. Adam swallowed thickly, gnashing his teeth as he closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself. It was then Tal turned around, her lips parting when she spotted him.

“Adam, could you please get me a band aid real quick? I put them in the bathroom, on the shelf next to the shower.”

“Yeah,” He moaned out of breath, barely able to speak as he did what he was asked to. “I’ll be right back.”

He could feel his head spinning when he found the small package Tal had spoken of and then rushed back to the kitchen to help her stop the bleeding—if not the way he preferred to do it.

What would he give to taste that delicious red liquid, to lick it off her petite fingers? _Everything_. The answer was _everything_.

Agitatedly holding back a hiss when he spotted the small cut on her left index finger, he aided her in wrapping the clean band aid around her finger. When a few drops of her blood smudged onto his fingers, he felt his gums pulsating, his fangs growing and pressing against his lips.

Stop, no! His eyes flew to the wooden floor, focusing hard to find invisible rats and mice to concentrate on. Even if he did get to drink from her, her blood was most likely contaminated. As a zombie, living in this fucked up world or what it had become, she would be venomous to him, deadly.

Clearing his throat, he attempted to speak. “Can you manage?”

“Yes, thank you, Adam.”

The vampire nodded in response, swallowing once more in an attempt to ban the thought of the sweet taste of her blood on his tongue. Hastily, he returned to the bathroom and closed the wooden door behind him, panting loudly as he did.

His haunted gaze found the lack of a reflexion in the mirror but he knew what he would have seen had there been one. Blue eyes, turned to a frightening mixture of brown and gold, sharp and dangerous canines, a hungry vampire ready to pounce on his prey. Shaking, he stared at the small trickle of Tal’s blood on his fingers. He brought them up to his face, inhaling the sweet scent of his sustenance and then, quickly and before he could change his mind, licked them clean. A few drops could not harm him, even if she was contaminated but right now, he did not care. Her blood tasted like molten gold, sweet, rich and numbing, so unlike anything he had ever drunken before. Nothing compared to the feast his taste buds were enjoying and his eyes closed with relish as he sank against the nearby wall, presenting his fangs to the thin air.

This was not how contaminated blood tasted like. This was how vampires used to enjoy their meals. Fresh, healthy and sweet blood teasing their tongues, hot hunger surging their veins like electricity luring them into drinking more and more and more.

Tal was beyond delicious and all he could think of right now was how badly he wanted to bore his fangs into her neck, yanking her towards him and firmly grabbing a fistful of her hair as he pressed her close to his cool body, feeding on her until she went limp in his arms, exhausted from both the blood loss and the consuming pleasure it would give her.

Instantly, he forced his eyes open, staring at the white sink which had a long crack in its valuable porcelain and digging his nails into the black carpet underneath him. No. No, no, no. He could not have her. Way too much was at stake.

And yet, so he knew, he needed _more_ of her sweet, sweet blood.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment or contact me on Tumblr! @sserpente :-)


	9. IX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! Please, enjoy the next chapter! *serves tea and biscuits*

Soon, his daily ration of blood he had brought home from the hospital was all but insufficient. Despite its quality, it tasted old, dry, cold and bitter; and every time he swallowed the thick liquid and forced it down his throat, he would remember how warm and sweet Tal’s blood had been, bathing his tongue with the most satisfying, most bewildering taste.

Adam almost gagged as he eyed the now empty glass of blood, the red substance still sticking to the rim of the vessel before he tossed it into the old and dirty sink which had been used for laundry a few decades back and then returned to his living room.

His beautiful and yet unknowing flame was sitting on the couch, her nose buried in one of his books. She did so every day for several hours, mostly while he was sleeping. How often she left the house in his absence, he did not know and maybe, he didn’t even want to. To him, she was his, she belonged to him like his many instruments. Pain flooded through him whenever he thought about her leaving him again one day, even if there was still so much she didn’t know about him, things that she would _never_ know about him.

A mute sigh escaped his lips and he closed his eyes in an attempt to scare his dreadful thoughts away.

“Are you okay? You seem so depressed.” I am _always_ depressed, he thought before looking at her almost hopefully. Perhaps she would stay. Perhaps he could convince her that she wouldn’t have to find a new job, that she could live with him, at least for as long as his immortality could allow it.

Eyeing him in a concerned manner, she frowned, putting the book aside.

“I’m okay,” he replied, his voice heavy with grief. The physical pain her mere presence caused was almost unbearable, for every time he looked at her petite figure, he would recall the sweet taste of her blood running down his throat. “Just a little… exhausted.” _Exhausted from trying not to suck you dry._

“Oh. Well, maybe you should stop working nights. We could go out for lunch together, there is this real good place called—“

“No.” His answer was firm, allowing no contradiction as he stared her down, his blue gaze close to menacing.

“Okay… I just thought… okay.” Instantly, he felt bad for snapping at her this rudely. The girl was trying so hard to get him to open up, to make his time worth wile and make up for her constant presence in her house. If only she knew.

“Look, Tal, I don’t like going out for… lunch or dinner or whatever; and I’ve been working nights for years now,” _Centuries, in fact._ “Please feel free to go out as much as you like and I’ll give you the money.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant, I just…” Squirming on the spot, she bit her lower lip. “You seem so lonely, I thought I could… well, never mind. I’m sorry, Adam, I shouldn’t have brought it up. Have you… have you always been like that? Have you always… preferred to be alone?”

He thought about it for a moment. Had he? Had he always been like that? _No._ He hadn’t. Not with Eve by his side. Maybe she would understand if he told her.

“I was married once,” he began, sitting down in a chair opposite her. Tal hugged her knees, her eyes widening in shock. Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke.

“What happened?”

“She died, only a couple of years ago. She was like me, she… adored the night, she admired our intimate togetherness. I truly loved her.” _And now I am falling for you, against all reason._

“Oh, Adam, I am so sorry.”

“Yeah,” When he looked up briefly, seeking out her beige eyes, it was salty tears he found, worsening her sight and making her sniff.

“What did she look like?” She asked quietly. Heavy silence spread in the room when she did and then, Adam stood, walking over to the nightstand next to his old-fashioned bed. He handed her a crinkled picture, in it a stunningly beautiful young woman, her blonde hair framing her flawless face. She was smiling into the camera, moving appreciatively to some kind of music as her body was frozen in an elegant dance move.

“Her name was Eve.” Adam murmured. Talking about her pained him, it tore him apart, from the inside out and still, he felt an immense relief as her godly name rolled of his tongue, revealing it to Tallulah.

“I’m sure she was amazing, Adam.”

“That she was.”

Before he was able to say any more, Tal suddenly got up to her feet, wrapping her tiny arms around his body. Her eyes fell shut as she pressed her warm cheek against his cool chest, felt the black fabric of his shirt rubbing against her skin.

The vampire sighed, dropping the picture onto the couch. And then he gave in, reciprocated her comforting hug, burying his face in her neck as he followed her example and closed his eyes. She felt so wonderful, so warm and lovely. He could hold her forever, keeping her close to ensure she would stay safe.

“You’re such a wonderful man, Adam,” he heard her whisper against his chest. “I trust you with my life.”

The absurd thought of it almost made him snort in defiance. _Safe_. As long as he was around, Tal was nowhere near to be safe. She had hurled herself into the arms of a monster, of the very creature that could—and eventually would—eat her alive.

Yet, he could not stop. He failed to push her away, bring as much distance between them as possible. Instead, he pulled her even closer, deeply inhaling her marvellous scent. His lips pressed onto the hot skin of her neck, feeling her carotid pulsating against his flesh. She was so luring… so seductive… instantly, his fangs grew, urging him to sink them into her, tasting her nourishing blood.

One bite… just _one_ bite…

Adam’s eyes flew open, his following movements too fast for her to follow. He backed off, knocking over a lamp in the process and breathing heavily as he fought to force his canines back into his gems. Blinking furiously, he licked his lips, tasting her soft skin on his mouth.

“You should… go to sleep, it’s late.”

The vampire stormed downstairs, not bothering Tal’s confused protest as he took two steps at a time, hurtling into the cellar. When he reached the door and slipped in, he locked it with shaking fingers, hissing at the battered and old cooling box in the right corner.

Seconds later he gulped several bottles of O negative down his throat, swallowing greedily as he sank to the floor, hissing again and again into nothingness when he finished.

He had almost _bitten_ her, almost sunken his teeth into her neck, drunken her blood… her sweet, sweet blood… Anger flooded through him. He needed to _control_ himself. After all this time, he had found a woman he _liked_ , a woman he could imagine to _love_ again… someone who could be much of an equal to Eve… he wouldn’t ruin it, he _couldn’t_. Never would he forgive himself if he did.

Adam sighed when he heard Tal tripping downstairs and into the small bedroom at the end of the corridor. The door closed, his excellent hearing allowing him to eavesdrop while she undressed and then slid beneath the soft blankets on the bed.

Still, neither of them had spoken of that one kiss again but it wasn’t necessary. When the time came, maybe they would know about each other’s feelings but until then, his heart would be aching in vain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment if you liked it and make sure to follow me on Tumblr! :-) @sserpente


	10. X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovlies! Thank you all for the kudos and your lovely comments! Please enjoy the next chapter!

„Adam,” He hadn’t heard her coming upstairs again. Frowning, the vampire shot a brief look over to his old-fashioned clock on the wall next to his dozens of portraits of scientists, writers and musicians and brushed off his headphones, tossing them aside. So much for working on new music but then again, he hadn’t been able to concentrate anyway. It was eight am already, the sun fighting to shine through his thick black curtains but failing the battle pathetically. “I barely slept at all. All I was doing was thinking about… Adam, I need to talk to you.”

“Do you?” His tone was questioning, careful and suspicious. The stone wall he had built up around himself rose to its peak, protecting his dead heart at any cost. He couldn’t possibly let her in again after what had happened just a few hours ago. He had drunken almost everything there was left. Soon, he would have to go for a drive and obtain new supplies for himself.

“Yes. I may not be a psychiatrist but I can tell if someone is suffering and you… you are. I’m so glad you told me about your dead wife, Adam, I know it takes a lot of courage to do so but still, I feel like you’re trying everything in your power to stay away from me, as much as this is possible, considering I live in your house. You insisted on me moving here when I lost my job _and_ my apartment and yet, I feel so rejected. No, you… you make me feel like I’m rejecting _you_. I…” She took a deep breath. Her whole body was shaking as she spoke, her voice so loud Adam almost flinched.

“I know I don’t know how much pain you’ve been forced to go through and I don’t know what I could do to make it _better_ but I really want to help you. I want to give you something in return for letting me be here until I’ve finally found something new but no matter what I do, you’re so… cold, and I just… I just… I just can’t keep going like this! It hurts so much seeing you suffer like this and not being able to do anything about it! I told you I trusted you but right now, I feel like a prisoner! Not because I am in this house with you but because I’m unable to break you out of this unbearable silence and grief you surround yourself with! You saved my life, Adam, I am grateful for that but why on Earth would you—“

Tal didn’t get to finish her sentence, for the vampire had rushed forward so fast she didn’t even manage to blink. Within a matter of seconds, his lips came crashing down on hers, his hands pulling her fragile body against his. Words could not describe how much he longed for her, how much he was into her, for everything she had said was true. He was cold, unapproachable and withdrawn but what was there he could do without revealing his true nature to her?

He knew he needed to stay away from her, focus on his music instead of her sweet blood but those words, coming from her beautiful lips… he couldn’t help it. Not quite.

He kissed her passionately, her eyes falling shut as she gave in, ravishing the feeling of being so close to him. It was like they were magnets—drawn to each other and unable to move away. It’s why she, unbeknownst to him, hardly ever left the house when he was asleep, it was why she had agreed on living with him and it was why she realised that she had long fallen for the mysterious black-haired man with the English accent.

A silent moan escaped Adam’s lips. Tal’s flesh was delicious, as tasteful as her blood and so _soft_. He could kiss her forever, never let go of her pretty mouth again. Almost shyly, his tongue asked for permission to enter, sneaking between her lips and starting a playful battle with hers. He felt her digging her nails into his black shirt greedily, so he pressed her even closer to him.

It was then she pushed him away with a start, her eyes widening in shock as she looked up at him. What had he done? Had he been too greedy, too ungentle?

“Adam… Adam, what…” Her fear stopped her from finishing her sentence this time. It radiated off her like heat, luring his inner monster to pounce on her, to scare his prey until it would surrender and give in to its inevitable death.

His fangs had appeared, growing longer and longer during the kiss until they were ready to bury them deep in her sensitive human flesh, his eyes as brown and golden as they’d been back in his cellar where he’d devoured a week’s ration of blood. As for now, he was exactly what he had intended to hide. A vampire. A creature of night. A blood-sucking monster. He had ruined everything.

Tal’s hand flew to her mouth. Stumbling back, she almost tripped over some cables on the carpet before hitting the wooden threshold of the door.

“What… what in the…” She swallowed, forcing herself to speak. It seemed like every single word was a stab right in her chest, causing her to choke on her tongue. “What _are_ you?”

Was lying an option? Pretending it was but a lame joke to ease the tension? No, she wasn’t going to buy it. He had messed up. For Fuck’s sake, he had _fucking_ messed up. Anger and hurt rose in him, forcing him to his knees. Only with all of his willpower he managed to remain as still as a statue, not moving an inch to not scare her even more.

There was no going back now. She had seen it. All of it. His sharp canines, his eerie brown and golden eyes… every lie he could come up with would be ridiculous and raise even more questions, scare her away forever.

Adam closed his eyes for a second. Slowly, he breathed in and out to make sure his appearance normalised before he spoke again.

“I’m a vampire.”

Trembling, the girl released the breath she didn’t notice she was holding. Then, she shook her head, staring at him wildly and full of defiance.

“No. No, you’re not, you _can‘t_ be, that’s… that’s impossible. Vampires _aren’t_ real.”

“I am real, Tallulah.”

“Is.. is that… this is why it’s always so dark in here, isn’t it? Why you work at night, why you never go out, why you never _eat_. Why you could take out those men with a single punch… and my ex… and you… you… you _drink blood!_ ” She shrieked hysterically, realising with a start what kind of deadly creature she had standing right in front of her.

“And i-is… is that why you took me in?” Tears were streaming down her cheeks now, torturing him with every sob that escaped her lips in between. Whether it was from fear or grief, Adam couldn’t tell. All he wanted was for her to stop, to calm down so he could comfort her, _assure_ her that her knowing about his true being wouldn’t change anything. He snorted mutely at that. Of course it changed _everything._

“Is that why you keep me in your house? W-what am I to you, a… a snack? Something you can help yourself to in case you get hungry?”

_Anger?_ Anger. It was anger flooding through her delicious veins now, her salty tears full of rage and fighting her fear for just a second. That was good. It meant she wouldn’t lash out and loser her mind from the scare.

“It’s _not_ why you’re here, Tal,” Adam shot back, perhaps a little more aggressive than he had intended to. This time, however, the girl didn’t flinch. She stood her ground, her chin held up high to declare she wasn’t _afraid_ of him.

Yet she was. He could literally smell it on her soft skin, radiating off her like her natural body heat he had come to enjoy so much.

Carefully, he took a step towards her, his bare feet almost gliding over the soft and battered carpet beneath him.

“No! No! Stay away from me! Don’t you… don’t you come near me!” Tal lifted her shaking hand, pointing a finger at him. It was a pathetic attempt to keep him off, for he was a thousand times stronger and faster than she would ever be and still, he stopped dead in his tracks, remaining where he was, watching helplessly how she grabbed the jacket she had left on his couch and put it on.

Was she leaving? Where would she go?

Only when she shot him one last cold glare and then stormed downstairs into the small bedroom to grab at least some of her other belongings—a mobile phone whose bills Adam was now taking care of, her wallet containing nothing more than her ID, driving licence and an old KFC voucher—the vampire finally awoke from his rigour.

Quickly, Tal stuffed her things into a bag, making mental notes to get replacements for the few other things she would leave back here and then started at the door.

“Tal, please wait.” He was so fast the girl hadn’t even realised his presence until his hand appeared on the metal door knob, blocking her only path of escape. How did he even do that?!

“ _Let me go._ Let me go, Adam!” It was him who flinched now, for the high-pitched tone of her voice screaming at him was a literal curse to his sensitive ears. Still, he didn’t move away; instead, he went for another try. Just one more.

“Tal… Tal, where do you want to go?”

She hadn’t thought about it yet. Adam was right, where did she want to go? Technically, she was homeless. Technically, she had nowhere to be and technically, she didn’t even possess a dollar to her name.

_No._ She also couldn’t stay, not with _him_. It was the fact he had lied to her, using her for nothing more than… for what? — rather than him being… a… a _vampire._

“I don’t know. Away from you, as far away from you as possible!”

After all, she had trusted him. She had trusted a stranger when straitened, her guardian angel right from heaven and now, he turned out to be a bloody-thirsty demon in disguise like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Images of him hugging her flashed before her eyes, memories of how he had protected her. Of how he had _kissed_ her. Had it all been a lie? A trick? A scam to feast on her at night? What if he’d already drunken from her while she was asleep? And what about all those times he had pushed her away, acted strangely when confronted with a hug or the sight of her blood? How could any of this make sense?

_No._ No questions. She had to leave. Her face distorted as she tore open the door, pushing him away with him letting it happen downright defencelessly, though he followed her into the small room presenting itself to the both of them, with another, heavy piece of wood blocking her route.

“Tal, _wait_. I never meant to scare you like this, there was a reason I didn’t tell you, _please_ , you have to listen before— _argh_!” His clamouring got interrupted by a sharp pain on his right hand as he tried to force the door closed again. The girl had opened it hastily, allowing bright sun light to flood the small room and Adam’s skin connected to the beams, scourging it and almost setting it aflame as his hand began to burn like a piece of meat in a stone oven.

For just a sheer moment, Tal turned around, her eyes glistening with concern as she stared at his carbonised hand healing within mere seconds. He was hurt, was he okay? The sun had _burned_ him. Reminded once more of why she needed to get away from this godforsaken place, she legged it, not looking back as she ran off in the broad light of day.

She didn’t know where she was headed, nor was she aware she kept crying and weeping for hours until she passed a deserted café and checked her phone for the time. It was noon. Tal was hungry and tired but most of all, she was mad. Mad for trusting yet another man so thoughtlessly, a man she had believed to be so different. He was different, in a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dramatic music*


	11. XI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! How's it going? Please, enjoy the new chapter! ♥

The sun was setting by the time Tal finally came to a halt, allowing herself to catch her breath on a wooden bench in an abandoned park. It was late already, according to her mobile phone, whose battery was almost empty now, about five pm.

She had been walking restlessly through the city for hours then, all alone and without a destination, circling the same spots over and over again but always staying close to the bus stop she had used when leaving Adam’s house for the first time.

Up until this time, the warm sunbeams had been the only thing separating her from his clutches, her one ally and protection and now, it mockingly bailed on her, hiding behind the horizon and creating space for a pale moon and billions of shining stars dotting the nightly sky.

For just a brief moment, fear flooded her body, making her tremble despite the warm clothes she was wearing. What if he was searching for her? What if Adam intended to end what he had started? She knew his secret now, what if he went after her and… _killed_ her?

But… no. This was absurd. Adam hadn’t hurt her thus far and despite everything that had happened today, there was no way he would cause her any harm, not like this… right? She desperately hoped her thoughts true. Maybe he had indeed wanted to be helpful and nice. Maybe… it was why he had been so distant this whole time… because he had fought with himself not to kill her and she… she had just run off and away from him, calling him names. It was her own fear that had scared her away, she realised, not Adam’s eerie secret.

Where was she supposed to go anyway? For all she knew, she could find herself a cosy bus stop bench or a dry spot under a bridge to sleep on. She could beg for some money to have dinner and become a derelict. Or perhaps she could go back and apologise? Promise she wouldn’t ever tell about his true heritage?

The pain in Adam’s blue eyes had been tangible. Not the physical pain the sun had elicited, no. Knowing that he had disappointed her, lied to her and scared her even had felt like thousands of glowing needles piercing her heart. She had felt it like it was her own pain. And yet she had left.

The vampire had been on her mind for hours now. It was like he was calling her name in the dark, luring her back into his arms. Yearning made her heart clench. What was this? Love? Affection? Leaving had been a mistake.

 _“Adam…”_

* * *

 

He should be searching for her. Right now, in this very moment, he should be out there, going after her, ensuring nothing had happened to her. But he was trapped inside; trapped inside this goddamn house to hide from a deadly star causing him to curse his immortal existence. He couldn’t possibly sleep now.

Adam was going to apologise if he ever got the opportunity again. He would apologise for keeping from her what he really was, beg for mercy, beg for another chance. He was a vampire. Mighty, strong, old and wise and yet, she held the upper hand. Tal had wrapped him around her finger without even knowing, had made him drop to his knees willingly.

Right now, he should rather be worried to be exposed. Tal knew about him and if she told anyone, the zombies would come knocking on his door, attempting to force him into a lab, a zoo or on a deathbed. Humans always attacked when they were scared, regardless of the consequences. A blood bath would be the result, with him feasting on each and every one of them, contaminating himself in the process. Perhaps then he could finally die and find peace, join Eve wherever in this endless universe she was at.

But—and this was what scared him the most—he didn’t care. He needed to make sure Tallulah was well, all because he had allowed himself to feel, because he had accepted falling in love. Eve would have shaken her head at him, arms akimbo.

 _Fight for what you hold dear, my love,_ she would have said, stroking his cheek in the process. As for now, however, he was helpless. Until it was dark outside—and there were yet several hours to pass until the sun would set—he was all but defenceless. _Useless._

Clenching his fists in anger, his knuckles harshly connected with the stone wall in the hallway, ripping a hole into it. Now he would have to get that fixed but then again, there was way too much broken in this house already anyway.

Tal had liked it nevertheless. There. There she was again. She kept torturing his mind, not leaving his tormented thoughts for even a second.

Wondering whether he’d ever see her again, he sank to the floor, his eyes closed. Detroit wasn’t that big. As soon as it was dark outside, he would get his car. He would find her. He needed to.

_“Tal…”  
_

* * *

 

For several seconds, she just stood there. Unsure of whether she should ring the doorbell and freezing from the cold temperatures, she simply frowned, staring at the dark wood right in front of her.

The sun was almost gone now, covering the house in dark shadows—it had taken her a full hour to come back and it was surprising, really. She had found his house without getting lost, though it had been like a supernatural energy pulling her towards him. Like magnets. Like Einstein’s spooky action at a distance, an entwined particle which, if one was moved away from the other, the other would be identically and equally affected.

Maybe they belonged together in the end. Maybe just neither of them knew yet.

Finally, Tal took a deep breath. She swallowed thickly before she pressed her finger against the rusty door bell.

It took a while until something stirred inside the house. Lights in the hallway were being turned on, muffled steps were audible and then, hesitantly but determined, the two heavy doors opened.

Adam said nothing when he spotted Tal right before him, nor did she. They only stood there for a while, listening to each other’s breath and then, when tears were forming in her beautiful beige eyes, the vampire reached forward, pulling her into a tight hug and burying his face in the brunette curtain of her long hair.

He felt no desire to drink from her, not right now. The relief that the sorrow, electrifying his body and burning him from the inside out had finally vanished, was way greater. Sighing, he pressed her even closer, taking a few steps back to close the door, with Tal’s arms still frantically wrapped around him.

“I was so worried,” he murmured quietly, closing his eyes as if to make sure she was real, that she had really come back to him.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” It was all she kept saying for a while, her high voice barely audible. Adam frowned, pushing her away an arm-length to look her in the eye.

“You are sorry? I told you I’m a… and _you’re_ sorry?”

“I should have let you explain! I didn’t listen, I just ran away,” she was interrupted by a dry sob. Anew, salty tears formed in her eyes, running down her cheeks and worsening her sight until Adam was nothing more than a black spot before her. Quickly, she blinked.

“…and I was scared. I really was. I thought you to be a seductive monster and I’m _ashamed_ now for thinking this way. I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t even talk to anyone, I swear.”

Taken aback, Adam’s lips parted. His cool hands slid down her arms to reach for her hands as he led her upstairs, placing her on his couch. How many shared moments, good and bad ones, had already passed on this very piece of furniture?

“Your reaction was absolutely normal. I don’t blame you, though I wish you had found out differently.” He finally spoke up. He rested his elbows on his thighs, leaning forward to study her. She looked fine, as far as he could tell. No scratches, no bruises.

“I wanted to tell you. Eventually. Maybe one day but zombies…” He closed his eyes, correcting himself “ _…humans_ tend to… you know the stories.”

“I still can’t quite believe vampires are real.” Tal whispered, her eyes fixating something invisible on the carpeted floor.

 _She will leave you_ , a reproachful voice in his head soothed. _You can’t possibly expect her to stay with a bloodthirsty monster like you._

“I can understand if you want to leave. I can get you a new apartment and provide you with enough money until you’ve found a new job. And a car. You’ll need a car, travelling by bus isn’t safe, I will—“

“Adam!”

Pausing, he looked up.

“I didn’t come back for your money. In fact, I won’t allow you to give me any more.”

Frowning, he swallowed. “Then why did you come back?”

Tal silenced. Yes, why had she come back? Truth was, she didn’t really know. Neither, though, did he. She had wanted to apologise, yes but now?

“I-I don’t know, I want to try and… I… oh, I don’t know. All my life I’ve been so naïve and ignorant. It’s why I snapped in the first place, old habits die hard. But… Adam, I don’t know what this is but I like you. When we kissed… I felt something I had never felt before. Like… like I finally belonged somewhere… like I belonged to _you_. Is that even possible? A human falling in love with a vampire?” She snorted, shaking her head at her own words. “I feel like I’m in a really bad dark romance movie.”

“I felt it too,” It was Tal who looked up this time, searching his blue gaze as if to assure herself. “I felt it when we first met. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get you out of my fucking head. I felt the urge to protect you even if I shouldn’t give a fuck. And then I asked myself if I could actually love again. A zombie…” Her innocent look was questioning for a second. „It’s what I call humans,“  he finally explained.

Is that really what it was? Were they in love? Tal held her breath, biting her lower lip as she allowed his quiet words to sink in.

“Now what do we do?” She asked, a painful expression on her beautiful face.

Adam took a deep breath, bracing himself for his answer. “We try.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear from you! Don't forget to comment and chat me up on my Tumblr! @sserpente  
> Love you guys! ♥


	12. XII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! Thank you all so much for your sweet comments, they really mean a lot! As always, please enjoy reading! :-)

“We do?”

There was silence again, spreading between them like cold and moist fog. The words hung in the air, unspoken and quiet. There was nothing either of them had left to lose. Nothing else worth fighting for. They might as well try and fight for whatever this was… whatever _they_ were.

“Let’s head upstairs. You must have a lot of questions.”

“I-I think I do.”

So they walked further inside, Tal allowing Adam to close the door behind him and thus trapping her in his house. Alone, with him. Yet right now, she didn’t feel afraid, at least… not so much. There was still so much that needed to be said.

Following the vampire to his living room, she wondered how many humans had walked on these very steps, not knowing what they were getting themselves into, not knowing that he could easily suck life out of them.

Adam seemed so peaceful, calm and introverted. She couldn’t imagine him doing such a dreadful thing and still, more and more horrible scenarios kept flashing before her inner eye. They needed to talk. Desperately.

When he sat down on the couch, mutely motioning for her to join him, she swallowed thickly, nervously wetting her lips as she did, preparing to talk and taking a deep breath. There was no need to beat about the bush now.

“So you… you can’t walk in the sun. It burns you. And you drink blood.”

Adam nodded. “Yes,”

“How? Have you… do you… I mean… drink from people?”

“I used to. A few centuries back, there was no such thing as hospitals and blood banks. Today, I get my rations from a doctor at the local hospital. I hide it in the cellar in a fridge.”

Tal felt herself breathing out so intensely she realised only then that she had been holding it. So he didn’t kill, hunt and murder. He was just trying to survive—similar to herself.

“You don’t sleep in a coffin.” She continued.

“No. That is an absurd myth zomb-… humans have invented for the entertainment industry.” Much to her surprise, he was being exceptionally calm about this. Had he done this before? Talked to a mortal about what he was? The girl doubted it.

“What about garlic?”

“No,”

“Crosses?”

“Not at all,”

“Churches?”

Adam shook his head, his lips pressed together to a thin line. Even now he looked incredibly handsome, with the weak light of a lamp on his desk throwing eerie shadows that tainted his beautiful and flawless face.

Looking up, he sought out her beige eyes, locking with his when he found them. He could hear her heartbeat from where he sat. Rapid and excited, a little scared; like a rabbit that had been hunted by a fox in the woods.

“Can you… enter people’s houses without permission?”

“I can. Though we say it brings about bad luck.” He explained thoughtfully. Tal frowned.

“What about mirrors?”

“You mean are you able to see my reflection?” She nodded.

“You will see nothing.”

“At all? Not even a creepy shadow or… a blurry shape?”

Once more, the vampire shook his head.

“How long… have you been a vampire already?” Shyly, she stared at her fingernails to avoid Adam’s gaze. She didn’t know whether he possessed supernatural powers as to seduce her in any way. She hoped against it, for the way her heart pounded whenever she was near him, was beyond alluring.

“For several centuries… Do you want to know my exact age?”

“I-I don’t think so,” Tal frowned, eyes fixed on the battered carpet on the floor. She had to ask him. Even if she didn’t like the answer. “Adam… when you… helped me that night… did you… I mean… think about… drinking my blood? Have you ever?” Again, the vampire remained silent for a few seconds. He studied her intently, probably weighing how she would take the different kind of lies if he told her. In the end, he settled for the truth and nothing but the truth. She already knew now. There was no way to make this worse.

“Yes. I have.” Again, she let out a deep, decided, however, to remain silent and listen to what he had to say. He was no merciless killer, now was he? No, it couldn’t be. “The night I brought you into my house, I… wondered why I did so in the first place. I didn’t know why I bothered. With the drugs in your veins, you were… unsuitable to be fed on at that point. I thought I’d never see you again when you left again but then…  you somehow ended up in my house again because of those fucking zombies and…” he paused, desperate to keep his composure. He didn’t want to spill this, that much she could tell; and still, he did it. For her. “I kept thinking about what you would taste like. Day after day. I still do now, I can’t help myself.”

Looking up briefly, his blue eyes locked with hers once more. Her heart was beating so fast now he feared she would faint. She was nervous, more so than only minutes before—but unless she would start to trust him again on her own accord, there was nothing he could do about it.

“But you… I mean, so…” she swallowed thickly, “You never actually _wanted_ to drink my blood?” Instead of answering her question, he simply said,

“Do you remember the day you cut yourself in the kitchen? The day I disappeared?”

The girl nodded, unable to find her voice.

“It was the day I first tasted your blood. I wanted to, Tallulah. More than anything do I dream about how sweet you tasted. I know this scares you but it is the truth. I can’t deny my nature, it’s what I am.”

“I…” He had tasted her blood? Tasted… _her?_ It sounded strange, something she had yet to get used to but oddly, it did not gross her out or scared her away. Against what she had expected, it merely sent an uneasy feeling through her body and the more she forced herself to accept his words, the more she calmed.

“Your blood isn’t contaminated,” he continued, not letting her speak up. He would finish explaining this. He was afraid she would leave again once she knew but right now, there was nothing else he had left to lose. “It’s… sweet… the most delicious blood I’ve ever tasted. It’s rare. You are rare. Zombies nowadays, they… have an unhealthy nutrition, they drink alcohol, they do drugs… they managed to contaminate not only their drinking water but also their own blood. It’s why I started to obtain clean blood from the hospital.”

Tal said nothing at first. She just sat there, beige eyes wide, dry lips parted, attempting to comprehend the words Adam had just spoken. He liked her taste. He liked what her blood tasted like… sweet. Was it really sweet?

“I… I don’t know what to say, I… I’m gonna have to get my head around this.”

The vampire nodded understandingly. “Maybe you should get some sleep. If you still want to stay, that is. If you wanted to leave, that’s fine but I’d have to ask you to keep this a secret and—“

“Adam.”

Her expression was soft, calm and almost loving as she looked at him. He could still sense how tense she was around him but she was trying her best in coping with the situation. He couldn’t help but admire her for it.

“It’s okay, I won’t leave.”

“That’s… that’s great.” He replied awkwardly. Almost, he wanted to thank her for her decision. “You should rest then. I’ll have some food ordered and brought here when you wake up again.”

Smiling weakly, she nodded, getting up to head downstairs again. Relief flooded through Adam as he watched her leave. Perhaps she was still scared of him. Perhaps she would never trust him again, always be cautious and keep her distance like he had before and perhaps, all of this meant that he would never be able to hold her and kiss her again. But it had been the right thing to do, he was sure of that now. Tal was back, she was still here and she was safe and sound. It was all that counted.

 


	13. XIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! I know, you've been waiting for so long, I'm sorry! I... completely forgot about this story (outrageous, I know!). Summer vacation was quite eventful this year though. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! ♥

It took Tallulah about a week to warm up again. Always cool and taking her distance, she spent a massive amount of time outside in the evening, when the sun set and Adam was still asleep, or in the kitchen to cook meals only she would be able to eat. It was eight days in total that passed until he first found her smiling again.

When the night was still young, the vampire would silently work on his music. He put headphones on whenever he did so, so he wouldn’t disturb Tal in her reading. For the time being, his battered and old editions of Shakespeare’s works seemed to be the only thing that could calm her down, for whenever he was near her, her heart would threaten to explode in her chest.

It was fear she felt, this much he could tell but behind it, hidden deep inside of her, there was affection. Affection that had drawn her back to him when she had found out about his being, affection that made her still care for him despite his unusual nutrition.

Over the last couple of days, she had asked him more and more questions that he had been all willing to answer. Once, they had even talked about Eve and her sister Ava. He had told her about Ian and how he wanted his music to be published but remain anonymous.

Tal hadn’t left him. She was still here and it ached him physically how grateful he was.

His thoughtful expression softening, he looked at her, watching her reading form on his couch. A blanket covered her feet, his book on her lap. Occasionally, she would lick her lips or frown at the words in front of her, now and then she flipped a page.

_She is inhumanly beautiful_ , Adam thought as his long fingers traced the strings of one of his precious guitars. Her skin was perfect to him. All of her freckles and dimples, the way she bit her nails when she got excited. Her long hair shone in the dim light of his living room and it always smelled like roses—a shampoo she used every day—and her beige eyes, glistening with condolescence whenever they locked with his, appeared to be the only thing to keep him sane.

His blood rations were getting rare, the portions per day smaller. It would be so easy to approach her now, heave her into his arms or press her weak body into the mattress of his bed. He could hover above her, hunger, lust and desire prominent in his eyes as he would grab her wrists firmly and hold them tight over both sides of her head. He would lower his face to her petite neck, listening to how the blood rushed through her delicious veins as he would _bite_ her, marking her as his and drinking her sweet blood until she fell asleep from exhaustion…

“Adam? Adam, are you okay?”

Breathing in sharply, he forced his gaze away from her skin, instead looked her right in the eye. Tal’s lips were parted, her expression worried as she shifted on the couch to properly face him.

“You were frozen in place like a statue,” she explained smiling, a light shrugging following. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

The vampire nodded quickly, almost too fast. “I’m alright, sorry, I was… lost in thought, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You know maybe you should take a break, you’ve been working on this song for hours. We could play chess? I… I saw the chess board in your kitchen.”

“Do you know how to play?” He asked, surprised when he watched her nod.

“I used to play with my father when I was young. Back then I was obsessed with Harry Potter, so when Ron saved them all by playing strategically through the room, I told him that I wanted to learn how to do that as well.” She giggled then, the soft sound echoing through the room and ringing in his ears like a song.

Adam smirked. It was so much better when she was this carefree. “Let’s play then.”

Carefully, he put the guitar away and followed her into the kitchen, a little amused by how she dragged along the blanket to stay warm. He had already turned up the heat the other day, given he had heard her teeth clattering last night when she was asleep. Outside, it was getting colder and colder and soon, so he assumed, the first snow would fall. He needed her to stay warm.

“There is a job I would like to apply for. I found it online the other day, there was an interesting advertisement.” She said casually as she sat down at the kitchen table. Adam did the same and then, they started to play.

“That’s great, Tal,”

It was silent judgment he treated her with after, knowing that she was very well aware of his graciousness. Still, no matter, how hard he tried to convince her, she wanted to start working again so she would at least be able to pay for her own food. She was rather stubborn when it came to that matter and if anything, Adam admired her for that tenacious trait.

On the other hand, perhaps his muteness arose from his hunger that grew with every painful second that passed. He would have to feed soon.

“Do not let me win on purpose! I’m up for a challenge!” Tal complained. She giggled once more, moving one of her white pieces over the chess board in the process. He hadn’t even intended to but after he had made his next move, she would be able to beat her.

Frowning, he stared at the chess board as if it bore a solution for his aching problem.

“Checkmate,” The girl tilted her head slightly. “Adam, I don’t think you’re okay, you have centuries of practise and I’m an amateur. What’s wrong? You know you can tell me.”

He looked up then, hesitating. His canines pushed against his soft lips, threatening to break his own skin. When she flinched, he knew it had been a mistake to seek her company.

“Your eyes… they’re…” Not brown and not gold but something in between, the light blue of his iris had vanished. She had seen it before, knowing what it meant and still, she did not move. Was he using her powers on her, unwillingly? Had he already stunned her enough to claim his prey? _No._

“Adam… w-when was the last time you fed?”

“Before I went to sleep... I had to ration it, there isn’t much left. I will have to get some more soon.” _And I am hungry all the time when I’m near you._ His voice was so quiet she barely heard it. Smooth but yet intimidating and somehow uneasy, it sent pleasant shivers down her spine instead of scaring her away.

She spoke the words before she could think them through, surprising both herself and the vampire before her.

“What if you… I mean… what if you fed from… from me?”

His eyes nearly seemed to pop out of his head then. Flinching himself now, he opened his mouth to reply but found nothing to say at first. Tal went on.

“I mean… I… guess I would be less scared of your… eating habits if I… a-and I trust you. Somehow. Somehow I still trust you. If you’re hungry… it looks like you’re suffering and if you’re hungry, then you could just—“

“No.” He suddenly snapped, making the girl flinch for the second time. “I will not… _use_ you that way.” _And I am not sure if I will be able to control myself,_ he added silently.

“I don’t mind! You said my blood wasn’t contaminated, so you could… you could drink it, right? Adam, you saved my life twice, you let me live with you and you pay for my food, if I can do _anything_ for you in return, then I will do it!”

“You are a human being, Tallulah, not a living blood bag. I couldn’t forgive myself.”

“But I do. Please, Adam. Let’s try. If you… I mean if you don’t like it, then we don’t have to do it again.”

Like it? Could she possibly assume that he _wouldn’t_ like it? Her blood tasted like liquid gold, filling him with energy and power unlike anything else he had ever tasted. The thought of him bringing his lips to her neck, kissing her soft skin lightly and then pressing his sharp teeth into her, breaking the skin, drawing blood… it drove him crazy.

“It’s not that,” he said calmly. “I might take too much. And I’d weaken you. Have you ever donated blood?”

Tal nodded, frowning as she did. “I have, once, in high school.”

“Then you know what it feels like. How draining it is. This can’t be healthy for you.”

“I mean… you won’t be drinking two litres at once, right?” Smiling almost mischievously, she leaned back, swallowing thickly.  Adam only growled.

“Tal, this is a bad idea.” He didn’t quite understand what had gotten into her. First she had been scared to the core, attempting to bring as much distance between them as possible and now she offered him her blood! Her delicious, sweet and tempting blood…

The vampire shook himself. Maybe if he took one sip, only one… it would be enough to satisfy his hunger until he could feed on some of his blood rations in the cellar again.

“You should go to sleep,” He said then, cursing himself for his egoistic thoughts. He wanted this—more than anything and yet, it was way too risky. He’d never forgive himself if Tal suffered because of his nature. “I can tell you’re tired.”

“You are, too.” She replied, the smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes. Hesitating, she got up but instead of heading downstairs to seek out her bedroom, she went straight to Adam’s living room and started towards his bed.

Clenching at one of the wooden bedposts, she waited for him to follow her.

She really wanted to do this, offering herself like a lab rat, like an experiment. Was she thinking so little of herself or did she really… _want_ to help him? Ease the aching of his canines against his flesh and the burning hunger within him?

He fought with himself, coming up with dozens of scenarios where something could go wrong, one worse than the other. But Tal… she wasn’t scared, not too much, at least. She was standing there, that calming expression on her face he loved so much as her beige eyes locked with his, inviting him closer until their bodies were almost touching. Slowly—so slowly he questioned if he was moving at all, Adam brought his soft lips to her neck and took a deep breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr! @sserpente


	14. XIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! Thank you so much for your sweet comments! Have fun reading! ;-)

He hesitated, intending to ravish what she felt like against his own skin, enjoying her delicious scent and listening to her rapid heartbeat.

“Adam…” she mumbled, her voice but a mere whisper. It was then his canines sharpened, pressing against his gems painfully. The vampire opened his mouth slowly, his hot breath brushing against the sensitive skin on her neck as he lightly drove his fangs over it, making her used to the feeling of something sharp and deadly going to intrude her body.

Another painstaking moment passed and then, he sank his teeth into her flesh. It was like his mouth was on fire, his lips tasting what he had been craving for so, so long now. As the first few drops of her sweet red blood moistened his tongue, he let out a pleasured moan, followed by a deep growl that sent shivers down her spine. _Mine. All of her is mine._

Tal flinched when he bit her, her fingernails digging into his back as he held her close by the waist, his eyes closed and his sharp canines buried inside her beautiful body. He drank greedily, taking sip after sip and swallowing with relish like this was going to be his last meal.

She was frightened at first, her heart beating so hard against her chest he feared for her to pass out. She didn’t. Instead, she began relaxing her body, leaning against him to give him more access. She… enjoyed it. Did she know? How this was something so intimate the feeling of it almost overwhelmed him? It seemed to overwhelm her, too.

The girl whimpered, her muscles failing as she grew limp in his arms and let him hold her tightly. He lay her down on the bed, his mouth never leaving her neck, and then hovered above her, drinking more and more until he felt truly gratified and full.

It took all of his willpower to pull away and let her recover, breathing in sharply through his mouth. He licked off the last drops of her sweet life essence from his fangs and lips, all the while watching how a thin trickle of blood ran down her neck, out of two tiny holes—barely visible injuries _he_ had caused. It filled him both with disgust and satisfaction.

Adam’s eyes returned to their natural blue colour, his canines slowly retreating. He waited, let minutes pass before he inched closer to Tal’s exhausted body and lay down next to her, reaching for her hand to intertwine their fingers.

Perhaps he was imagining her speaking, for it was so quiet not even his supernatural hearing was able to fully comprehend her words. Jolts of electricity surged through his dead body nonetheless.

“Adam… I think I fell in love with you.”

If he replied, she didn’t hear. Resting her head against his chest, her tired eyes closed from the blood loss and she fell into a peaceful slumber. 

* * *

 

_I think I fell in love with you._ Adam lay awake that day. His arms trailed over her upper arm, making her sigh in her sleep and creating goose bumps all over her skin. She was comfortable with him, comfortable with the gory monster within him. She had let him _bite_ her, taking her blood to ensure his own well-being, his own survival. She had given him whose loss could kill her painfully and yet, here she was, resting in his arms and sleeping like an angel.

Drinking from her once was far from sufficient, now that he had properly tasted her. How would he ever go back to bottles full of cold blood whose taste had been manipulated by modern machines? The thought of it made him hungry again. Of course, it was time for another meal. Just like humans did, he as well had to feed at least two times a day to feel properly healthy.

He would have to get up before he lost control and bit her again, rudely wakening her in the process. He couldn’t know whether he would ever taste her sweet blood again anyway. Maybe it had scared her despite her heartbreaking confession. Maybe she would want to leave and forget it had ever happened.

_Stop, my love. She is into you, why will you not embrace it and stop worrying about this nonsense?_ Eve’s dead spirit scolded him; she was angry at him for not seeing that the fragile woman in his arms was to be his. He had claimed it last night but now, there was a small part of him dreading that she would refuse to stay and patch up his shattered heart again.

Tal stirred. She moaned softly, then yawned before recoiling from his tight embrace. She stretched and her beige eyes fell open, the view offering her nothing but the dark and velvety fabric above her. The blood and the bite mark on her neck had dried and were already slowly starting to heal. He feared that she would jump out of bed and leave the house now, not wanting to believe what he had done to her, calling him names but… she did no such thing.

Instead, when she turned to him, a light smile played on her lips. She looked enchanting, especially after waking up. Her brunette hair, framing her beautiful face, was shaggy but made her look even prettier.

“Good mor-… evening,” she muttered drowsily. Her hand reached for the blanket to cover up her body, her eyes never leaving his.

Finally, he forced himself to reply. “Good evening, Tallulah. How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright. A bit beat and groggy… but I’m fine, I promise.”

“Are you sure?” Intently, he leaned forward to see if she was lying. Apparently, she wasn’t. Her body was weak and used but her mind… she did in fact feel well.

“Okay. I was going to have breakfast,” he let her know, getting ready to heave himself out of bed when the girl’s reply reached his ears.

“Oh, of course, I don’t mind. Go ahead.” She was offering him her wrist. Pale and inviting, he could see the blood pulsating under the light skin and yet, Adam flinched and shifted away a bit. The familiar pain of his fangs pressing against his lower lip spread all over his set of teeth, urging him to take her arm and mark her again, staving off his hunger.

“Tal, you have lost a lot of blood last night. It will harm you.” He tried a calmed tone but failed when she moved again and waved her alluring scent towards him.

The girl sighed tiredly, her eyes closing again. “Adam, I am _fine._ We have had this discussion before and you can’t win…” she teased, holding back a smirk. When she looked at him again, she was dead-serious. “You are hungry. Your eyes…”

Brown and gold and something in between, giving him away. He had never thought of this as a weakness before.

“Have breakfast before. Please, I insist. You need water and food. I would offer to prepare something for you but I’m afraid I don’t know how to… I never had to cook human meals before.”

Her cordial smile warmed his cold heart from the inside out, the butterflies in his stomach going crazy with delight. He knew now that she most likely felt the same after what she said last night. The thought filled him with pride and relief.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to cook for me. I’ll make myself some fried eggs and bacon, yes? You could watch and learn, you know.” She winked then, catching him off guard completely. Playful and teasing, she flirted with him, provoking a reaction. Eve had done that a lot and it had _always_ elicited an honest smile from him. So it did now.

Licking his lips, he followed her into the kitchen and watched her prepare herself breakfast, analysing her every movement as she explained the rather easy steps to him. Soon after, he sat down at the table with her and observed her eating and drinking in silence.

“Will you let me now?” she asked when she finished, her voice quiet and hesitating. It was like _she_ was intending to take something from _him_ , not the other way round. This girl… he didn’t deserve her.

Nodding, he felt his mouth watering as she stood up to straddle his lap and offer him her wrist again. She leaned against him as he accepted it, his moist lips ghosting over her soft skin. He bit her sooner this time, his teeth intruding her flesh the moment his canines had sharpened sufficiently and then started drinking, appreciating every single drop she let him steal.

Tal moaned audibly, the pain a little more prominent than yesterday but still pleasant to endure. She used her other hand to stroke his back as he fed on her, caressing the skin hidden under the soft fabric of his black shirt until he was full. He pressed a clean napkin against the fresh wound when he pulled away.

They made a mute agreement in that moment. Adam wondered where it would possibly take them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr! ♥ @sserpente


	15. XV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! How are you doing? Here goes the next chapter and I promise, you will enjoy it! ;-) Have fun!

The tension between them was palpable, heated and almost hazardous.

Adam had played Tal his songs that night. He had led her back into the living room and had her sit down on the black couch before fumbling around with his old-fashioned recording devices. When he hit the play button, he was excited, his fingertips tingling coolly.

For some dubious reason, it was highly important for him that Tal liked what he had produced. He cared for her deeply and he wanted her to adore both his work and his being, in spite of not understanding how she could have grown so close to him in the short time she had been here.

The soft tunes of his music flooded her whole body. Each of her cells seemed to drown in the calming sounds that came out of the old speakers. He watched her close her eyes and let his songs consume her, her breathing so calm she looked like she had fallen asleep. Tal was wide awake though. She absorbed each song he played her ravishingly, then nuzzled into him as he sat down next her to pull her close.

He felt the urge to hug her and touch her constantly now. She was like his drug, his anchor that would keep him from getting lost in the ocean.

“Adam, I love it. Every second of it. Are you going to release it? Share it with the world?” She asked, her eyes wide.

The vampire smiled softly. “I’ve yet to find a new manager to do that for me. I want to get my music out there and make the planet a better place with it but I need to remain completely anonymous. I once had somebody who would take care of that for me. Ian.”

Tal frowned. “What happened?”

“He was killed by Eve’s sister. She was in town to visit and lost control, sucked him dry to the very last drop.” He could feel cold shivers running up and down her spine but he did not stop. She had to know about the danger he posed when he drank from her, needed to be aware of the risks. “I wish she had turned him.”

Her lips parted, though Adam could not tell whether it was awe or fear that became present on her face. “Turned him?”

“If he had died with vampire blood in his system, he would have turned.”

“How does vampire blood get into somebody’s system?”

He looked at her coolly, his voice calm as he explained. “By drinking it.”

“And… D-does it hurt? Becoming a vampire?”

Adam shook his head. “Like falling asleep and awakening as something new.” _Something powerful and mighty._ “They never tell you about the loneliness that comes with it though.”

The smile that she gave him almost scared him. “You’re not alone anymore. I’m with you now.”

And what did that mean? That she wasn’t going to leave anymore? That she was going to _stay_ with him? Forever? _No_ , he scolded himself. _Not forever._ Tal was human. Sooner or later, he would have to abandon her but until then… he would appreciate her presence.

“You are,” he replied, returning her smile almost shyly. Then, allowing her to lean forward, he cupped her face in his soft hands and looked her deeply in the eye. It was like he could see the universe in them. _Her_ universe. Timidly, she brought her lips to his, closing the small gap there was left between them.

His mouth moved against hers passionately, capturing it in a heated kiss while his tongue glided over her lower lip to beg for entrance. Tal granted it, devotedly letting him battle her own tongue until she sank down on the couch, pulling the vampire with her and deepening the kiss until they both had to pull away out of breath.

No. He wanted more, he _needed_ more. Knowing that his eyes would have changed its colour by now, he glared down at her greedily but oddly enough, it didn’t scare her away. Instead, Tal ran her hands through his black hair and crossed her fingers in his neck, urging him to kiss her again.

The vampire growled. In one swift movement, he lifted her up into his arms and walked her over to the bed, laying her down carefully before joining her. He was impatient when he straddled her, his long fingers trailing down her body and under the short-sleeved shirt she was wearing, hastily pulling it over her head. He needed his mouth on her body, not just to bite her but to _taste_ her, kiss her everywhere he could reach.

She had no bra on, relinquished it to sleep more comfortably. He welcomed the fact with a groan as his eyes met with her rather small but round tits, her nipples, hardening from the sudden cold already, pink and inviting to suck on.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” Adam mumbled, kissing down her neck gently until he reached her breasts. He could feel her squirming underneath him, for his hot breath on her skin was beyond any sensation she had ever felt. Was that it? Being with a vampire, would it be so pleasurable? Or was it just the fact it was Adam?

He hissed before taking one of her nipples into his mouth and starting to suck on it relentlessly, his tongue playing with the hard nub before circling her areola and then attending to her other breast. Tal arched her back, enjoying the feeling of his mouth on her body. She whimpered when he pulled away but was silenced when his lips came crashing down on hers again, kissing her so furiously this time she desperately gasped for air.

Her nails dug into his back when his mouth attacked her neck, carefully kissing around the bite mark before licking over it carefully. Perhaps she expected him to bite her again but despite his reawakening hunger, he held back, for now.

Much rather, he concentrated on her pants. He pampered her stomach with light kisses while unbuttoning them and then quickly tore it off her legs, tossing them out of the bed. She was laying there in only her panties now. They were black and so thin he could almost see through them as he hooked two fingers under the disturbing piece of fabric and removed it as well. Naked. She was fully naked and she was _stunning._

It was brunette locks, framing a pink and swollen pussy that was offered to him as his gaze roamed over her body. Sheepishly, she pressed her legs together to deny his blue eyes access.

No, no, no, was she embarrassed? Tal was beautiful, _everywhere_.

“Don’t…” he mumbled, resting his hands on her knees to keep them apart and let his eyes fix on her womanly parts again, taking a proper look at her. He wanted it. He wanted her so badly it ached, for all he could think of was how sweet she would taste down there.

The vampire could tell she was aroused already. Her cunt was slick and moist with her juices, her pussy lips shimmering in the dim light of the room. He licked his lips in joyful anticipation, wasting no more time in going down on her. His canines were sharp and dangerous but he forced them back so they were grazing her skin only lightly when his tongue darted out to lick over her slit.

Tal gasped, her hands clenching at the bed sheets underneath her so hard her knuckles turned white. He looked up briefly to see her eyes closed and her head thrown back in bliss, then decided to taste her once more. It was like honey, so sweet as he drove his tongue inside her, then circled her clit and parted her pussy lips to have even more access to her womanhood.

A moan escaped her lips, her hips bucking up against his face. She grew wetter with every second he ravished her, sucking her clit in his mouth and torturing her until she was but a moaning and whining mess on his bed. Breathing heavily, she wrapped her legs around him and grabbed a fistful of his hair, forcing him to finish what he had started…

The feeling was overwhelming, his tongue working her so skilled she feared to faint from all the pleasure. She could feel his fangs pressing against her too, adding to her arousal. She was on the edge, ready to fall…

But then he pulled away, brushing her wet folds with his lips before kissing along the soft skin of her inner thigh.

“Adam…” Was it a plea? She did not know. Struggling unsatisfied, she felt her slick flesh throb with need and lust, the tight knot that had built in her stomach begging for release. If he kept touching her, _anywhere_ … she was sure she would cum.

Adam let out an animalistic growl. Her scent was beyond delicious, beyond his ability to keep his composure. He stopped fighting the canines that pressed against his lower lips and instead sank them into the soft flesh of her inner thigh, rapaciously drinking the blood that sipped from the wound.

Tallulah screamed and arched her back furiously when a sharp pain spread on her leg, making him flinch, alarmed, but without removing his mouth from her thigh as waves of pleasure rolled over her body and had her see stars. Her orgasm hit her so hard she started thrashing in his tight grip, for he had dug his fingers into her hips to keep her still. It helped her to calm down. Never before had she felt something like this.

There was a constant light stinging where he had sunken his teeth into her flesh and sucked the blood out of her but mostly… it felt _good_ , it felt so _good_! Only Adam was worried at first, letting go of control so completely. Had he hurt her? Surprised and scared her? It took him a second to realise that she had cum… she had cum from him… _biting_ her? He hadn’t even… he had stopped touching her! How would she feel pleasure from… _this_ , now, with the monster caged inside him on the loose?

He decided to ponder over it later. What mattered now was Tal. Her pleasure, her well-being, her body. God, he wanted her so badly! Not just her sweet blood, he wanted _all_ of her. He wanted to be _inside_ her and claim her, make her his forever.

His clothes were gone faster than she could blink, her eyes taking in all of his naked body. He looked like a Greek statue, his skin pale and flawless, his member, stiff and ready for her, big, proud… and beautiful. How was everything about him so beautiful?

Tal gasped once more as she brought her hands to his naked chest and ran her fingertips over his skin. He shivered, suppressing a moan.

There was a bit of precum on the pink tip of his cock already. He wouldn’t be able to last long, and she had already cum from him biting her _down there._ What if she could make him cum by just touching him in return?

He stopped her before she could reach his hard length though, positioning himself between her legs carefully. He ached for her small and petite hands to wrap around him and stroke him firmly, having him achieving his end only by her pampering him with gentle squeezes and maybe… her lips around his tip, her innocent beige eyes looking up at him… he would save this wish for another time. Right now, he needed to be inside her. He needed it _now._

Adam snatched Tal’s hands to pin them down at the sides of her head, his fingers intertwining with hers as he slowly pressed his hard dick against her entrance, teasing them both for a moment before sliding in fully and easily because of her arousal, her tight walls welcoming him in an instant.

She clenched around him, embracing his erect penis as it rocked in and out of her, throbbing and pulsating. Yes, he wouldn’t be long but it felt so good, so good to be buried so deep inside her, knowing that it was him who elicited her blissful moans and whimpers, her soft voice whispering his name over and over again.

She was going to cum again. He could feel it, feel her tightening around his hard member when her beige eyes rolled to the back of her head. Panting, she bit her lower lip. It was seething within her, waiting to break out and toss her down an abyss. She looked _gorgeous_.

The vampire looked down briefly. Her juices had mixed with a trickle of blood on her thigh, staining both her wet folds, the bed sheets, his balls and even his rock-hard penis as he pounded into her hard, losing all composure there was.

The sight of her red life essence right where their bodies met was all it took for him to find his own release. He came with a loud growl when Tal clenched around him rhythmically, her muscles milking him and willingly taking the seed he shot into her, marking her as his with every rope of cum.

He was still thrusting into her lazily as they both came down from their high, recovering from the intense climax they had endured. Then, after what felt like hours, Adam finally came to a halt and pulled out, falling onto the bed right next to her. She cuddled up to him immediately, seeking body contact and protection.

Next thing he knew, she was sound asleep and for the first time in a long while, he truly felt content again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr. @sserpente


	16. XVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! It's been a while, hasn't it? Please, enjoy reading this new chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! ♥

The pleasure Adam allowed himself to feel, built a monster of guilt inside of him, a monster that had sunk its teeth deep into his flesh, unwilling to let go again. Tal was like a fallen angel, his saviour. When they met, he had been the one to rescue her but now… she was the one rescuing him. With every time he kissed her, nibbled on her pink lips, drank from her sweet blood or thrust into her warm sheath over and over again, he felt blessed. The guilt would wash through him with every day he lay awake in bed, listening to her calm breathing and her soothing heartbeat. It hurt him, seeing her like this.

Although she insisted that she was fine, the changes of her body were clearly visible. He urged her to eat regularly and drink enough water, which she did but still… Tal was paler than she had been when he first met her and the tiredness that she always fought, kept her from going outside for too long. She was _weak._ And all of this was Adam’s fault. Slowly and unwillingly, he robbed her of her power, her life essence by drinking and ravishing her blood night after night and instead of pushing him away and telling him to stop, every time he bit her she would simply dig her nails into his shoulders and pull him even closer to her fragile body.

By now, there were bite marks all over her, not only from his feeding but also their passionate love making. Her arms, thighs, chest and neck, even her stomach were all covered in small wounds. She wore them with pride, gently and thoughtfully brushing over them while taking showers in his bathroom, that he knew from secretly watching her. No matter how well she was, however, no matter how well she pretended to be, her body was not; and it physically hurt him to look at her, be constantly confronted with the injuries his fangs had caused.

Tal stirred, shifting and rolling over so she was facing him. Her naked body was barely covered by his dark bed sheets and she sighed heavily before opening her eyes, as if she knew he had been watching her curiously.

The sorrow was visible in his blue eyes, glistening desperately. The girl frowned, lifting her arm to caress his cheek ever so lightly. Instantly, Adam closed his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” She whispered, her voice heavy and quiet from sleep.

“Tal… look at you. Look at your skin. We can’t keep doing this.”

“What? What do you mean? I feel fine, Adam, I told you. You don’t need to be worried. I will tell you if I need I break. But I do enjoy this. With you,” Her eyes fell shut in mid-sentence again, tiredness way too strong to fight any longer.

He stayed awake that day, staring at the ceiling and pondering over her words. She couldn’t possibly mean it. Was he using his powers on her, unknowingly? Was this why she thought she enjoyed being used? Or was it because she had fallen for him as much as he had fallen for her? To vampires, the act of drinking blood from a beloved one was always an intimate one, an act that went beyond the euphoria of sex though he had never witnessed it himself. How could he have? Eve and him… they were both vampires, they had never drunk from each other, even if they could have. It had been him being too scared of hurting her in ecstasy but now with Tal, a human… against all reason, it felt bewildering, astonishing and breath-taking. Could she possibly feel the same despite being mortal?

* * *

Tal awoke only a few hours later, her sleep disturbed by Adam’s disrupted thoughts, or so he presumed. When the sun finally vanished behind the grey horizon and welcomed the familiar darkness of the night, he got up and dressed, determined to leave in a hurry.

He needed new blood supplies, even if the rations of clean blood from the hospital tasted nothing like Tal’s sweet life essence.

“Where are you going?” She murmured sleepily, one hand covering her beautiful eyes as she stirred and turned on the bed so she was facing the ceiling. Adam said nothing at first. He looked down at her, grateful for this pretty creature in his bed he had all to himself, then shook himself to scare the thought away.

He wondered what had gotten into him. For so long now, way too long, he had let his hunger and thirst get the better of him, careless of how it would affect another living being. Tallulah. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, that sooner or later, he _would_ harm her more than just leaving possessive bite marks all over her delicious body. Even if she didn’t mind, even if it wasn’t his supernatural charm that clouded her common sense, she would have to realise this—the easy way or the hard way.

“I’m going to the hospital. I need new blood rations.”

“Oh. But…”

“I can’t feed off you several times a day, for Fuck’s sake.” The girl’s eyebrows raised in confusion. It was fine. He too was confused. He’d been so for way too long.

“Adam, are you still worrying that…”

“Tallulah. Don’t argue with me, please.”

“I’ll come with you then!”

“ _No,_ ” he replied sharply. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Hesitatingly, he moved to place a tender kiss on her lips, then left the house without looking back.

* * *

He took longer than he had intended to, driving around in the city for a bit and admiring the many old buildings scraping the black sky. It was a weak attempt to sort his thoughts but it was enough to pound some common sense back into him. It was like he awoke from a trance that had captured him in its steel clutches for days on end.

Tallulah was too good to be true, for finally since Eve, he had found a woman who truly loved him for what he was—despite his traits, his flaws, his very nature. She hadn’t told him yet but he knew she felt that way. He could sense it. She was perfect, so perfect he doubted he, a blood-sucking monster, deserved her and yet every time he would express his dark thoughts, she would sooth him by pulling him close and burying her face in his neck so he could feel her hot breath brushing against his cold skin. Usually, it was the last thing he remembered before pouncing on her in wild passion, kissing her longingly and playfully biting her lip to draw a little blood.

The sex was… beyond incredible. It filled his dead body with life and energy, with love and lust and a burning desire only Tal was able to still. Her sheer presence alone had him squirm every single night, her touch a necessity for him to fall asleep when it dawned.

She was giving him so much, so much he was grateful for—and yet, all he did was taking, giving nothing back. Nothing but his love for her, his honourable promise to protect her and even that was a cunning lie. Perhaps he could care for her now, make sure she was safe and sound in his house but what could he do about time? Even he was powerless against it, against Tal unstoppably aging and one day, dying and leaving him just like Eve had. He would be alone again.

Once again, a fresh and hot, stinging wave of guilt washed through his body like a tidal wave, hitting him in the guts and turning his stomach. Nauseous, he inhaled just loudly enough to drown the sound of the light and icy wind in the background. It was then he frowned.

When had he gotten out of his car? His Jaguar XJ was parked in an abandoned parking lot, the engine turned off already and without even knowing what he was doing, he marched straight towards the entrance of the hospital. It felt strange to come back now, odd to get more of what he once craved so badly his whole body had tickled with hunger.

A weak smile played on his lips as he roamed through the empty halls of the dimly lit hospital. Eve had called it the “real good stuff”. If only she had known there was blood out there which tasted even _better_. He wondered, lost in thought while avoiding a group of doctors chatting in the hallway, whether it was his affection for Tal that made her this… _delicious._ The fact she adored him—every last bit of him, revelled in his touches, his _bites_ … he had given up in believing he was unconsciously using his powers on her. Such strong feelings like these… not even he was capable of conjuring them, of convincing a mortal she was into him. She simply was.

Waiting, silently and indecisively, he stood in the threshold of Dr. Watson’s laboratory. Unlike usual, the man had already noticed him.

“It’s been a while, Dr. …” he paused, tilting his head in disbelief. “…Faust.”

His scepticism was nothing new to him. Adam would be too if a cloaked stranger paid him regular visits to illegally buy suspicious amounts of blood. Only God knew what he would do with them but at least, so he figured, Watson hadn’t figured out about his true being yet. He hoped it would remain this way for as long as he lived in Detroit.

Nodding, he offered him his empty bag. Dr. Watson reacted immediately. Quickly, he filled it up with silvery bottles filled with O negative before accepting the bundle of banknotes Adam held out. Another nod on his behalf, Adam clasped the bag shut and bolted the room again. He wanted to get out of there and away from the hospital as fast as possible now. Back to Tal to tell her about the conclusion he had come to.

* * *

Tallulah was still right where he had left her. She was sitting on his bed completely naked, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth as if she was trying to block out reality. She looked up in surprise when she heard him entering the bedroom, her gaze taking in his strange attire.

“Disguise,” he briefly explained before tossing the rubber gloves away and ripping off the mouthpiece.

The girl nodded.

“Sounds reasonable,” she gave back with a weak smile. Silence filled the room, unspoken words hovering in the air like shimmering soap bubbles which, when touched, would vanish in a spray of water.

“Look… Tallulah… I have been thinking.” How was he possibly going to explain this? Should he just jump in at the deep end, risking her wrath, challenging her tears? Adam swallowed thickly. He had to.

“We have no future,” he choked out, seeking out her beige eyes. Tal’s lips parted. “We… you are weak. And _don’t_ say that’s not true, I can clearly see it. I’ve been too greedy, just look at you! Look at your body!”

“Adam…” Her voice was shaking as she spoke, her eyes filling up with hot tears. She blushed—dear Lord, she blushed, her cheeks reddening with all the unshed tears waiting to break out and stain her face. “I am okay with it, I have told you countless times, I feel great! So what if I’m a bit weak? You just got yourself fresh blood to let me rest, haven’t you?”

The vampire ignored her, even if her words warmed his heart like wings made of feather hugging his whole body. Like a guardian angel. It was ironic. Only a few weeks ago, Tal had called him _her_ guardian angel. Now it seemed to be the other way around. But Adam was using her body like an incubus.

“Don’t you see it? See what I’m doing to you? I am using you like a living blood bag, like a _toy_ to play with when I please, whenever my _hunger_ gets the better of me. We can’t continue this, I can’t. I can’t live like that, knowing that I am taking away what little time on this planet you have. I _want_ to spend every breath you take with you until…” He couldn’t bring himself to speak it out loud. _Until you die._

She knew it too, only she had been hoping she would get to spend a few more months—even years with Adam before they would realise this. Tal was crying now. Her muffled heart-breaking sobs stabbed him like daggers made of the most solid wood Earth had to offer.

“Are you going to send me away?” She asked, her lower lip quivering as she grabbed his silken bed sheets to cover herself. Her whole body was shivering. She still hadn’t heard from the company she had recently applied for. Without him, she would be homeless yet again.

“No. No, of course not,” Though he was not sure how he would contain himself in her constant presence, he still felt obliged to protect her at all cost… No. It was more than that. Adam couldn’t be without her anymore. Her company was so full of energy, a light-headed breeze of power that would surge through his cold veins like electricity.

The despair in her voice was audible. Tal couldn’t be without _him_ anymore either. It was like their souls had locked, entangled and molten to one. He felt it when they kissed, when they touched, when he fed off her and when they made love.

“Tal…” he started, unsure of what to say next. He had to fill the awful silence between them, stretching in the air like a tight rope, certain to break if he didn’t soothe it with his dark voice.

“I love you.” She suddenly interrupted him, blinking frantically to scare away the tears streaming down her beautiful face. Adam’s heart, had it beaten, would have skipped a beat.

_Don’t let her go, Adam. Your love for each other is so strong. Embrace it. You deserve it._ He closed his eyes upon hearing Eve’s voice in his head. She was right. Eve was right, she always was.

“I love you too.” _There. It can be so easy._

“I know you do.” The smile that played on her lips, fighting the tears, didn’t quite reach her eyes but the merry sparkle in her eyes was cordial. It was so real it almost hurt.

_How do I deserve her, Eve? How?_ , he thought as he pursed his lips and stepped closer to her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Tal instantly inched nearer to straddle him, not bothering her nudity as she made herself comfortable on his lap and wrapped her pale arms, covered in bite marks, around his neck. Their lips were only millimetres from each other’s. Adam could taste her sweet breath on his mouth if he concentrated.

The urge to push her into the mattress, kiss her, pleasure her and drink from her until she squirmed and screamed out in pure bliss hit him like a tidal wave, growing with every second that passed. How much longer would he be able to endure this?

“Adam…” She whispered, resting her forehead against his. “I want you to turn me.” 


	17. XVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! Are you having a beautiful Christmas time? Here goes the next chapter, enjoy! ♥

“What?!” Adam pulled away. He narrowed his eyes, the mesmerising blue in them sparkling with fear, anguish and… was it rage? Tal’s voice shuddered when she continued.

“I want you to turn me. Make me a vampire. Adam, I know that eventually, I will grow old and undesirable and I will _die_.”

“Tal, stop…” He closed his eyes, fighting for composure. He still had her sitting in his lap, crossing her fingers behind his neck and gently forcing him to look at her.

“I love you and you said you love me. Let me stay with you forever. What’s left for me here? I’m homeless, I don’t have a job, my ex-boyfriend almost got me killed… There is nobody I could lose if I choose this. Let us travel the world together, Adam, let us find sustenance somewhere else. And we can always come back here if you want.”

“Tal…” Of course he wanted to. Having her stay with him forever sounded like witnessing the sunrise again, appreciating every ounce of colour, every inch of light creeping towards his dark form… but he would curse her, damn her to an existence that promised nothing but fear, loneliness and pain.

Her eyes were wet with tears, she could practically hear him thinking about her dangerous suggestion, a choice that if once made, could never be undone and she knew, he had already decided.

Adam could not bear doing this to the woman he had fallen for. Eve had already been a vampire when he met her, young, free and accepting of her hazardous nature that required to kill, blood and to take innocent lives.

 _We have both chosen to live differently, Adam. You can teach her to do the same. She will be like you. Let her be with you. You want it!_ For the first time, Eve’s voice sounded like piercing needles boring through his skull and tormenting his brain.

Taking a deep breath, he gently pushed the human girl off of him and set her on the bed before getting up and burying his face in his hands.

“No,” he murmured, barely audible. Tal let out a sob. “I can’t. You… you are too precious… too… I cannot make you a monster like me.”

“A monster? You think you’re a monster?” Her lips parted, shock and confusion present on her face as she shifted, her tears flowing freely now. He hated how they stained her perfect cheeks, reddening her beige eyes. Nothing but lust, love, happiness and desire should ever reflect in them and it physically ached him to know he was the reason for her grief.

If he turned her… would she be unhappy? She was, for all he knew, very well aware she could never again walk in the sunlight or enjoy a warm day on the beach, have a delicious meal in a restaurant or stay in one place for too long.

“Adam, stop pondering over this so much. I love you! And I choose this. I choose you! You’re not a monster, you’re not a bad person, you are my… my saviour! When you took me in, I was a picture of misery and you… you gave me hope again. How could this be wrong? You can’t scare me anymore.” She cried out in between a couple of heart-breaking sobs.

The vampire resisted the urge to rush forward and pull her into his arms until she stopped crying, weighing her in his arms and let her forget for just a moment that nothing but his comfort existed.

He was being selfish. He couldn’t live with the guilt if he turned her, forcing her to become this feared and frightening creature of the night but if he did… he would be selfish for locking her to him _forever_ , even if she had been the one to suggest this atrocity in the first place.

He almost scoffed at the thought. Only weeks ago, he had cursed those zombies, belittling them for depraving their own planet, their food, their own _blood_ and now, all he could think of was how Tal would be affected by all of this.

 _He_ had depraved _her_. By feeding on her, by sleeping with her… and now, by rising her wish to become like him.

“I love you too. Fuck, I love you so much it fucking hurts but you can’t make me do this to you! Tal, you’re so petite, so…”

“Do you honestly think I couldn’t deal with it?! I want to be with _you_! I know I can do it! I’m not _weak_!” She bellowed, clenching her fists. Fuck, she looked sexy when she was angry too. Her cheeks reddened, her hair wild and her beige eyes sparkling with hot emotion.

Adam tore his gaze away before he would pounce on her like a lion in heat, making love to her—no, _fucking_ her into the mattress and feeding on her until she forgot her own name. Until she forgot she wanted to become a blood-sucking monster.

“Adam.” She said. She could read him too well. She knew he was getting carried away, lost in thought, dreaming of something he couldn’t have—not right now. He was tormenting himself and he did so happily. Tal _wanted_ to break him free of that curse, show him that his existence, being a vampire and taking life to live forever could be more than torture and endless loneliness.

“Please. Don’t you…” She swallowed thickly, her lips parting anxiously. She hadn’t thought about it before. What if the reason he didn’t want to turn her was… “Don’t you… I mean, want to be with me? Am I just… temporary? Not worth it?”

“Don’t you fucking say that ever again. You’re too fucking good for me. I’ll deprave you even further if I turn you into a blood-sucking monster, I don’t want that for you! What if something happens to me, Tallulah? What if you end up alone? You’ll be cursing your existence and you’ll be suffering from the loneliness that comes with it and trust me, it will come.” He hissed, giving in to his anger now himself. He would in fact lunge on her if they continued this conversation.

“Why are you being so pessimistic? Adam, I love you! I. Love. You. I am taking whatever risks come with me becoming a vampire _willingly_ , you can’t _make_ me stay away from you!”

The vampire sucked in a deep breath. “I don’t want you to stay away from me.”

“Then where do you think will this go on the long term?”

The ring on the doorbell interrupted their heated argument. Dense like used up oxygen, it settled on the carpet, ready to float again as soon as the unwanted visitor had gone again.

“Who is that?” Tal asked, her voice shaking. Adam only gave her a thoughtful look before bolting downstairs to send away whoever had found his home again, causing her to clumsily get back on her feet herself to wait by the stairs, leaning against the railing to listen.

“Adam! Oh, I missed you _so_ much!” The young blonde woman throwing herself into his arms when he opened the heavy door to let the moonlight enter the house, might as well rip her heart in two.


	18. XVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! And a happy new year! Enjoy this new chapter, love y'all! ♥

“What the fuck are you doing here?“ _Oh._ He sounded pissed and not at all as cheerful and delighted as the blonde woman. Her clothing style was… interesting to say the least. A black skirt, white stockings with blue dots on them and a white shirt saying ‘I am pretty’ made her look younger than she probably was and the fake white fur coat she wore looked plain ridiculous. She’d brought a pink suitcase and when she grinned at him with a mischievous sparkling in her eyes, Tal noticed two pointy fangs.

_Oh._ So she was a vampire too. How did they know each other? What story did they share? Jealousy bit into her guts like a raging green monster, making her nauseous. Adam never told her about another woman other than Eve. Who was this? She was… beautiful, much more beautiful than her. Was she an ex-girlfriend? The last woman he turned and then abandoned because things didn’t work out after all?

“I told you, I missed you. Ever since Eve has gone… I’ve been feeling so empty inside.” The woman spoke, shrugging her shoulders innocently in the process. She’d known Eve?

“That’s not my fucking problem, get the fuck out of my house and go back to whatever hole you crept out of.”

“Don’t be so mean! I just want to stay for a couple of days. Eve would let me.” She chanted.

“But Eve is not here. Fuck off, Ava! I told you I never want to see you again. I meant it.”

_Ava._ Her name was Ava? Hesitating, Tal took a step forward. Her naked feet barely made a sound on the wooden floor when she descended the stairs to take a closer look at the female vampire, pondering over what had happened between Adam and her. He clearly didn’t appreciate her presence and disgustingly, it filled her with relief.

“Who is that?!” Ava shouted, her face lighting up with utter amazement.

He fought with himself, gnashing his teeth and shooting Tal a rueful glance.

“I’m Ava, Eve’s sister.” So there was no romantic relationship involved? Relief once more flamed up in her blood, making her breathe out audibly when the blonde woman pulled her into a tight hug.

“Who are you?”

“I-I’m Tallulah.”

“Aw, what a cute name. Adam didn’t tell you about me, did he?”

“No… sorry…”

Ava didn’t even pause to breathe. “I can’t see any fangs, are you human? Adam, did you get yourself a little pe—”

“Ava, get out.”

“What, come on! Let me stay! Just for a couple of days! Tallulah doesn’t mind, do you?”

Tal’s lips parted, her eyes moving over to Adam, questioning as if asking for permission. In fact, she didn’t _know_ if she minded a third person roaming about this house. Perhaps Ava would be able to convince Adam of turning her. She seemed lively and adventurous, at least.

“I mean, I…”

“Great! I’ll take the bedroom right there.”

“Ava…” Adam growled moodily.

She didn’t even turn around when she vanished.

 

“Stay away from her.” Adam murmured, nuzzling into Tal’s neck on the bed. They’d been spooning for hours, her warm back pressed against his cool chest and a soft blanket covering them both. Sleep wouldn’t come to either of them, even though the sun was coming up already.

“She seems nice though. Maybe it won’t be too bad, having some company for a few days.”

“She’s not. She’s not nice, Tal. She killed Ian and she will not hesitate to kill you if she gets hungry. She can’t control herself. She’s reckless and ruthless and plain stupid.”

“S-she was the one who…? Oh… I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t know that.” She replied silently. “I just thought… since she’s Eve’s sister…”

“No. Unfortunately not,”

Silence hovered between them, raining down on them like white snowflakes. Soft, quiet and merciful, their quarrel was, momentarily, forgotten. Adam was worried, she could sense that with every fibre of her being. She didn’t know what else Ava had done to make Adam despise her this much, yet the hatred he felt for Eve’s relative had her own blood boil as if they were one person.

Couldn’t Adam feel it too? That every cell, every inch of her body longed to be near him, sharing his emotions? She knew that, despite her presence, he felt lonely, knowing she would one day leave him and she knew that she wished for nothing more than to fill that gaping hole in his chest, begging to be stitched up even if he denied it.

The thought of turning her was tormenting him, questioning his morals, his own desires and his selfish vein. An impulse he didn’t want to give in to but that Tal desperately wanted to see with her own eyes.

She wouldn’t bring it up again. For now, they would simply enjoy each other’s company and relish touches, kisses and cuddling until they fell asleep.

“I’ll be careful, alright? I promise.”

 

“What the fuck did you do?!” Tal was brutally ripped from sleep when she heard Adam’s voice thunder through the living room. She could tell he was downstairs, the enraged words echoing through the whole house as she rose and blinked sleepily at the dark ceiling.

_Oh no._ What had happened?

The answer came from Ava herself when she listened up. “I’m sorry, I was just so hungry! It smelled so good and I hadn’t fed in a day!”

“A bloody day? You act like you’re fucking starving, empty _all of my blood supplies_ and now you’re telling me you haven’t fed in _a day_?” Adam snapped, getting louder with every second that passed.

Tal was smart enough this time not to join him in the parterre to eavesdrop and witness whatever had gone wrong herself. He had gotten himself a fresh stack of blood only yesterday. Ava must have drunk a lot if it was all gone now.

Shit, she _knew_ how hard it was for him to find proper nutrition. If she offered him her neck for the next couple of days, would he refuse yet again?

“I’m sorry I woke you.” Tal flinched when she spotted her lover leaning against the threshold. He sighed before joining her in bed, pulling her in a tight and warm embrace that melted her heart.

“It’s okay. Did she really drink everything?”

“Every last drop,” he grunted, pursing his lips in a disgusted manner.

“I’m so sorry.”

“No, I guess it’s a good thing.” He said quickly. “She’ll be sated for a while and won’t set her eyes on you.”

Tal flinched once more. “Do you really think she would try to… I mean, drink me?”

“Tal, I told you, she’s ruthless. Of course she would. Fuck, I want her out of this house.”

“Well maybe if she won’t leave, maybe we should.” She suggested shyly.

“What?”

“Just for the night. Let’s go out together. Take a walk in the moonlight, feed some pigeons, I don’t care. Let’s spend some time together outside. You barely ever leave the house, Adam, I want you to be more open. Life has so much to offer, especially if you’re immortal.”

There she was again. Eve. How much more proof would he need to accept Tal and him were meant to be for each other for the rest of eternity?

“I don’t really feel like going out, Tal.” He responded quietly, burying his face in his hands.

“Oh, of course not… You must have breakfast first.”

His head shot up. “No. Absolutely not, we talked about this.”

“Ava drank all of your blood and you’re hungry and soon you’ll be weak. Do I have to _force_ you?”

The sudden fierceness in her voice almost scared him. Had last night’s argument changed anything? It couldn’t have. Tal was still the innocent and pure young woman he had saved from that bastard zombie on the street, she wouldn’t harm a fly and now… she was practically _demanding_ him to feed on her. He wondered if he had hurt her by refusing her vampirism. What was it she wanted to prove him now? That she was strong enough for it? Strong enough to be with him?

Sighing once more, the vampire pulled her back in his arms and let her straddle his lap. Tal instantly wrapped her arms around him, pressing her neck right against his thin lips and clouding him with her alluring scent until he was sure to be going crazy with need and lust.

His cock sprang to life underneath her, begging for attention as it painfully twitched in his tight leather pants. Never before had he associated sex with feeding but then again, that was before he had met this beautiful, stunning woman on top of him.

“Please, Adam…” She whispered, her voice barely audible. He could feel her closing her eyes with relish when he opened his mouth, unable to control his thirst any longer. His fangs gently pressed against the flesh of his lips, demanding to break free of their cage to sink deep into someone’s skin—Tal’s skin. So he obliged and bit her, careful not to harm any of her previous wounds to not cause her any pain.

He knew by now she was enjoying it, unafraid of hot stings of anguish of any kind. Eagerly, he sucked at her flesh, his manhood pulsating wildly when he heard the moan he elicited from her petite form. Adam was very well aware that when she started rocking her hips, creating friction where he wanted it most, she was unable to control her own actions.

Within a matter of seconds, they were both trapped in a bubble of desire, love and passion, devouring and appreciating each other to the fullest. Could it always be like that? If he turned her? Could he drink from her whenever he pleased without having to be fearful of damaging her fragile body? _Yes, my love, that you could. That and so much more._

The vampire growled, reluctantly releasing her. A few sips would be sufficient for now so if she insisted on him feeding on her once more later that night, he would not take too much of her energy.

“Now that’s some kinky shit. I like it! So that’s why there’s bite marks all over her. Hmmm, can I get a taste too, Adam? Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

_Puff._ And just like that, all sexual energy in the room vanished, dematerialising into thin air. Ava grinned wickedly when she entered the room, leaning against Adam’s couch.

“No. I’m not a toy, Ava.” Tal snapped, frowning at her. Adam’s grip around her tightened. _I’m here. I’ll protect you. Don’t worry. Just don’t make her angry._

“Well, sorry, I never said that but clearly, you let him drink from you.” She explained casually. “You don’t come across a lot of humans who are not contaminated nowadays.”

“I can imagine.”

“So? What are we gonna do tonight? Dancing? Drinking? Both?”

“ _We_ are not going to do anything, Ava. Tal and I are gonna go out, _without you_. I don’t give a flying shit about what you’ll do. I want you gone.”

Tal flinched. If Adam ever were to talk to _her_ like that, she would willingly plunge a knife in her chest and bleed out on the carpet. But would they really? Go out together? Apparently, her idea hadn’t been too bad after all. They would both get away from Ava and some fresh air.

Adam turned to Tal, his expression softening as he tenderly stroked her cheek. “I want to show you something.”


	19. IXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! Here's the new chapter! Enjoy! ♥

Not even in the slightest was the Palmer Park as famous as the usual sight-seeing spots tourists stormed to in Detroit and especially at this time of the day, with the sun long gone and the moonlight mildly illuminating the soil path before them, a heavy layer of peace and quiet had covered the spot of nature in a soft blanket, clutching it frantically.

Tal leaned in closer to Adam, taking in the scent of his black leather jacket. He had put on his gloves, an arm wrapped firmly but gently around her waist as he pressed a tender kiss on her forehead and stroked her hips.

Compared to him she could barely see her own feet before her, let alone her surroundings and yet, she revelled in the beauty of the night. The shapes of trees and bushes, invisible flowers, usually bright with colours, swallowed by the vast darkness… a soft sigh escaped her lips.

“It’s so beautiful out here…”

“Yeah,” Adam murmured quietly.  “I used to come here a lot after Eve died. When the wind rustled through the leaves, I thought I would hear her voice. Now I hear her in my head. It’s like her soul never really left me.”

Perhaps she should be scared away by such a confession. Learning that Adam still mourned his dead wife, an immortal woman he had spent so many centuries with but strangely… she wasn’t. She understood Eve would forever be a part of him. There was no jealousy, not like there had been for Ava before she had introduced herself as Eve’s sister.

“What does she say?” Tal whispered, nuzzling in even closer to him.

“She encouraged me. To keep going, to accept that I fell in love with you, Tal… to tur—“ He paused, pressing his thin lips together.

Tal looked up, attempting to make out his blue eyes in the darkness. Her own eyes widened but her surroundings remained utterly dark. She could barely hear him breathing, yet she noticed he was tensing.

Eve encouraged him to turn her? What was stopping him then when even his dead wife wanted him to embrace this new love to keep for the rest of eternity? She wouldn’t ream. Instead, she sucked in a deep breath and gave him a tight hug to express her understanding.

Adam sighed. “Perhaps I should,” he suddenly said, breaking the comforting silence once more. “Perhaps I’m just too selfish to do it.”

“Adam, I won’t force you. I won’t even speak of it again if you don’t want me to. I can feel how much this is bothering you and I’m sorry to be the one who caused that. I can wait. As long as I can stay with you, I can wait.”

“I love you.” He muttered quietly in response.

“I love you too, Adam.”

 

They spent two more hours just walking through the park silently, bathing in each other’s presence and enjoying each other’s company right until Tal was freezing from the cold which was clutching at her limbs like merciless claws.

It was nice not to talk, nice to understand each other without any words. The sexual tension, the passionate friction between them, it was tangible when they got in the car and drove back to Adam’s house.

The lights were all out when they arrived, with no music or another person’s presence welcoming them home.

“Where’s Ava?”

“Gone for good, I hope.”

Truth was, Adam didn’t want to worry her. Ava had never cared about taking life to still her hunger, it was likely she was out dancing with strangers only to lure them into an abandoned, dimly lit alley to suck all blood out of their bodies.

He shivered when he imagined it, hoping for Tal’s sake she would return sated.

“I’ll make myself something to eat, I’m rather hungry.” Tal stated with a shy smile, letting go of Adam’s hand rather reluctantly.

“Alright. I’ll prepare you a bath so you can warm up.”

“Thank you.”

Contently, she strolled over into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She would have to go shopping soon again. Tal still hated asking Adam for money but if he noticed there was no more food for her in the house, he would throw a tantrum and scold her anyway. She might as well mention it. Perhaps in the bathtub, where he would hopefully join her? No… if he did so, they would be doing something entirely different. Tal didn’t even care the water would mix with her blood.

She pressed her legs together when she imagined it, wetness pooling in her panties within seconds.

She screamed when she closed the fridge again. Ava was leaning against the wall, her blonde hair frizzy and wild as if she’d spent an adventurous night.

She was grinning when Tal locked eyes with her with raised eyebrows. “Hey…”

“Hi. Bet your night wasn’t even half as fun as mine was.”

“That depends.” The question as to whether she killed anyone lay heavy on her tongue, yet the words wouldn’t come. _Don’t provoke her._

“Did Adam get some more blood by any chance?”

“No… I mean, you drank everything, he was pretty pissed about it.” Anger boiled in Tal’s stomach. Ava had seemed likable at first, she’d liked her cheerful nature and now… ever since Adam had warned her about her, she was suspicious. She knew not to judge people by other people’s opinions but Ava… Ava was a murderer. A ruthless vampire who would, so she was sure, not hesitate to kill her.

“Ugh, come on. Can’t you let me take a sip from you then? Just one! I promise I’m gentle! I mean you already know what it feels like.” She flinched when her eyes turned to the familiar golden and brown colour she had come to adore so much when Adam fed on her. Her canines pushed against her lower lip, a silent hiss underlining her change of appearance. This was different… this was… _terrifying._

“No, Ava.” Tal spat, backing away with trembling limbs. “Didn’t you feed earlier? I mean, you went out as well, didn’t you?” She tried hard to stop her voice from shaking. Vampires could sense fear and anxiety, that she was very well aware of.

“No… those boys were all so ugly. LA is so much more exciting, seriously.”

“Adam… Adam! Adam, help me!” She shrieked, panicking. When Adam drank from her, it was… intimate. It was something only the two of them shared, the gift she made him fuelling his life, giving him something of her to taste that no other man ever had. If Ava were to take it now… forcefully and without her consent…

“Tal, get in the bathroom.” Relief flooded her veins when she heard his voice behind her. Stern, intimidating and wrathful, it thundered through the old kitchen. Tal obeyed immediately. Rushing past Adam to lock herself in the room he had come from, she pressed her ear against the cool wood, listening to what happened outside. Her heart was still pounding like a steam hammer, the rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins like poison.

“I warned you, Ava, I warned you to get the fuck out of my house.”

“You’re so _boring_ , seriously. Will you ever change?  Now that Eve is gone, I would have expected you to become a little more like you were _before_ you knew her.”

“I only ever tolerated you _because_ _of_ her! I fucking hate you, Ava! The only way I want to see you is shoved in a coffin with a wooden stick through your fucking cold heart!”

Silence. For an awful short moment, there was nothing but silence.

“Where’s your sense of bloodlust gone, huh?” She replied darkly. Her voice was shaking, her eyes glistening with disappointment and actual hurt. She wouldn’t let him see, yet both Adam and Tal could hear it. “You know what, maybe _I_ should _turn_ your beloved new _girlfriend_. I’d love to see her struggle with being a blood-sucking monster like you do. I’d like to see _you_ struggling trying to help her and then losing her!”

Adam flinched, hesitating to answer.

“Oh my God, you _have_ thought of turning her, haven’t you? You _are_ in love with her! Fucking shit, she’s not your pet, you’re in love with her! Come on, Adam, let’s make her one of us _right now_. If you don’t want to share her with me—it makes sense now, really, you’ve always been a selfish prick—then what’s the point of keeping her around? She’ll die anyway eventually!”

“Don’t you fucking go near her!”

The sound that reached Tal’s ears from behind the bathroom door resembled a light breeze of the wind, right before someone started rattling at the door as if their life depended on it.

“Open up, Tallulah, I got a _present_ for you!” Ava chirped in a singing voice. She was strong. Petite and childish but _strong._

“Have you gone mad?!” Tal screamed when she kicked open the door, breaking a hole into it. Dust and splinters of wood sliced through the air, causing her to lose orientation for a moment. The shock was prominent on her face when she slipped on the moist tiles on the floor and hit her elbow on the edge of the bathtub.

Adam stormed in right after, towering over her helpless form like a tiger when Ava darted forward to reach for her, her fangs sharp and ready to _kill_.

How could this have gotten out of hand so quickly? She had seemed so nice, so cheerful and happy… was this what being a vampire really meant? Turning into a wrathful beast with no emotion and morals when hunger called and lured?

 _No… no_ , Adam had been drinking from her for so long now and not once had he lost control. He was different. He was _good_. No. She should be thankful.

Clutching at her aching elbow, she stared up at the vampires in pure terror, watching how they growled like wild animals. Too fast for the human eye, they moved, fighting, punching and biting until they were out of sight, so merely the sounds of breaking furniture, shattering glass and the dull thuds of feet stomping on the carpets reminded of their restless presence.

“I won’t let you fucking touch her,” Adam spat through gritted teeth, his eyes dark golden, his canines ready to strike. Ava let out a court but scornful laugh. “We’ll see about that. You were always more fun where there were three of us. How could you even say those things? You are my _family_!”

“You never were, Ava! You never were, look at you! All you do is destroy and kill and _ruin_ everything I work for so hard!”

For just a brief second, he hesitated. Would Eve want this? Them fighting? Them tearing each other apart? Adam was ready to kill her. For all she had done in the past and especially for trying to hurt Tallulah. It was where it ended, where she tripped over the bold red line he had drawn. If something happened to this mortal woman hiding in his bathroom… he would lose himself and finally join Eve wherever she had gone.

“I’m trying to help you! I’m trying to make your miserable life a little better and you hate me for it! You hate me for it!” Frantic sobs escaped her lips as they kept sparring uncontrollably, one trying to off the other like nothing else mattered. In the moment, it didn’t. They tumbled into the kitchen without realising, knocking over the table and the wooden chairs. The legs screeched over the tiles, sending ice cold shivers up and down Tal’s spine as she hugged her knees and began rocking back and forth, praying for this to be a terrible nightmare.

If something happened to Adam… she was sure to lose herself and finally join her family wherever they had gone.

“I’ll give you a reason to hate me, Adam. I’ll fucking kill her _for_ you!”

One second of awful, painstaking and heart-breaking silence passed. The cracking of wood echoed through the house, then the sound of a body colliding with the ground. She couldn’t see it—but she could hear it. The blood, how it splashed, how it stained the remnants of the chair and the bright tiles on the kitchen floor.

Tal’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening in shock.


	20. XX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho there my lovelies! I am so sorry you guys had to wait for so long for the last chapter! If you're following me for a while, you already know that my hard-disk broke. The last chapter was almost finished when I lost all my data. I had to re-write it all and for a while, I was pretty demotivated to do so. But! Finally! Here it is now! Enjoy reading! ♥

Her fingers were shaking uncontrollably when she clumsily got up on her feet again, swallowing thickly to gather some strength.

Hesitatingly, she stepped outside, her calm steps barely audible on the wooden floor. Tal sucked in a deep breath when she spotted the lifeless form of Ava lying on the ground, a wooden stick driven through her chest—a piece of a broken chair.

Adam was kneeling right beside her, mumbling something she could not understand when he noticed her presence. His eyes—not gold and brown but something in between—darkened.

“Tal, go back to the bathroom.”

“Adam…”

“Go back to the bathroom!” He screamed wrathfully, making her flinch. His voice echoed through the bloody kitchen like razor sharp knives slicing through her skin when she legged it, even more tears spilling from her reddened eyes when she fled.

Sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, she attempted to stop herself from crying. This was hard enough for him, if she whined over seeing a dead body, a corpse… new tears welled up, worsening her sight.

She couldn’t believe what had happened. She’d been so faithful, so optimistic. Eve’s sister, if she hadn’t… it was like something inside of her had snapped, changing her, swapping her for an entirely different person like a demon taking over.

Adam had told her Ava never bothered about hiding her true nature, never even tried to control her insatiable bloodlust and still… what if there was a side of him acting the very same? If one day, he lost control over his own hunger, possessed by thirst only her blood could still until she died in his arms?

_No._ _Don’t think like that._ _Adam would never do this to you._

It wasn’t the first time she had seen what the vampire was capable of—raw strength, power that _killed_ and _maimed._ He had never directed it at her, even when every instinct inside of him had urged him to do so.

She remembered how he had pulled away when hugging her for the first time, refraining from sinking his fangs into her skin.

Tal had no doubt she was safe with him and yet, whatever had happened just now—she still couldn’t wrap her head around it—was another reason as to why she wanted to be like him.

To relieve him from that pain, to reassure him she was there too, fighting the same hunger as he. They could be lonely together, travelling together… would he want that? She had eavesdropped some of Ava’s and his conversation.

Of course Adam had thought about it himself. Having her stay with him forever, for _eternity_ … and he had declined and refused just to protect her. Would things change now?

“Tal…”

His voice, although gentle, brutally ripped her out of her thoughts. Startled, she looked up at him and watched him entering the bathroom. Blood stains decorated his black clothing, the cuts and bites on his skin almost completely healed and his eyes gone back to normal, his fangs retreating.

The questions lay heavy on her tongue, like a piece of lead, but not a single sound escaped her lips when Adam pursed his lips in a disgusted manner and removed his shirt along with his leather pants.

_Where is she? What did you do? What happened?_

“She’s nothing but trouble, I should have known, I should have sent her away immediately. Fuck, Tal I’m so sorry.”

He knelt down beside her, covering her kneecaps with his cool hands. The same hands that had ended another being’s life only moments ago.

“W-what happened?” She finally choked out. “What did you do? Is she really—”

“Don’t bother. You don’t need to worry. Tal, you shouldn’t even have seen that. Those images… I can never wipe them from your mind.”

Closing his blue eyes for a second, he pulled her close and rested his chin on her head. Tal leaned into him, her limbs still trembling with fear and the adrenaline cursing through her body, making it hard for her to breathe calmly.

“What about t-the body, we need to—“

“ _We_ don’t need to do anything. I will take care of it later. Tal, relax, please. I know it’s an impossible and outrageous thing to ask of you right now but I can hear your heart beating so fast I’m scared you’ll faint on me.”

Was this what he had wanted to protect her from when she asked him to turn her then? From being like this? Ava was a monster, ruthless and brutal but then again… Adam was the opposite. Caring, responsible, sticking to his morals.

“Come on… let’s… let’s take a bath, it’s alright. Everything’s gonna be alright.” His voice was soothing her. Whatever he had just done, whatever horror scenario she imagined had occurred outside this very bathroom, _he_ didn’t frighten her, not anymore.

Adam had saved her life—again.

Still shaking, she allowed him to help her on her feet and undress her. Slowly, he tore off each and every piece of clothing until she stood naked before him, her beige eyes seeking out his almost desperately.

There were so many unspoken questions glistening in her irises, so many unanswered thoughts. But Adam was right. Now was not the time. He would have her take a bath and he would hold her until her rapidly beating heart calmed enough for her to fall into a relatively peaceful slumber. Then he would take care of the corpse in the kitchen.

The vampire smiled weakly—a sad attempt to cheer her up and prove that indeed, everything was going to be alright. But in reality, he did not know if it was. He knew what he wanted to do, knew what he had to do, yet he was still struggling with his decision. Was Tal? Should he ask her once more, get her reassurance, her consent?

“Adam…” She spoke up before he had a chance to do so, right when he helped her into the bath and closed the tap. The temperature was perfect—just hot enough to keep her from trembling any further. When he joined Tal and slowly lowered himself into the tub, he took her with him gently, pressing her warm back against his cool chest and wrapping his arms around her body, his hands grazing her naked breasts.

The very hands that had killed only seconds ago… Tal swallowed thickly.

“I heard Ava when she said… what did she mean by you were more fun before?”

Adam glared at her—not angrily—but unwilling to tell her, afraid she would see him differently if he did. He pressed his thin lips together tightly before answering her.

“I was different before I met Eve… brutal. I didn’t care who I killed to quench my thirst. How many. Whether they had a family or a life… I murdered for fun.” If he had had a reflexion in the mirror, he would at times still be ashamed of himself and his actions.

“Oh.” It was all she said for a while. When Adam shifted uncomfortably, desperate to learn what was going through her smart mind, he heard her breathing out audibly. It was all but unfair it affected him, for it reminded him of the way she sighed when he made her orgasm. The vampire stirred when his blood shot right between his legs, his member twitching with excitement. It didn’t exactly help that Tal’s entirely naked body was pressed against him, her hands now playing with his and unwilling to let him go.

“Say something,” he whispered into her ear, sending pleasant shivers up and down her spine.

“It’s okay, Adam. You are a different person now. You were all but kind to me, you never harmed me… you saved my life. I owe it to you. All of it.”

_I owe it to you._ Her consent. This was her consent. The vampire gritted his teeth. _Wrong_ , a quiet voice in his head mumbled. _It’s still wrong…_

And then he heard Eve. Calm, composed and tender, she encouraged him. _Do it, my darling. She wants it._

“Adam…” _Tal._ A sweet moan escaped her lips when she turned around, noticing how his hard cock pressed demandingly against her back. Some of the warm water spilled over the edge of the tub and wetting their clothes on the tiles but her mouth was on his before he was able to protest.

Was now a good time to have sex? Adam had just killed his dead wife’s sister—Tal had nearly died. There was a corpse decaying in the kitchen, a wooden stick shoved through an ice cold heart, blood spreading on the floor…

Maybe this _was_ the reason why they should have sex now. To appreciate they were both still alive, to acknowledge each other’s presence and to worship the love that they shared. Immortal love Tal wanted to gift him over and over for the rest of her life. A life she wanted to spend with him _forever._

“I love you…” His voice, heavy with a British accent, sounded like music in her ears. “Tallulah, I love you…” Adam’s lips moved from her mouth over to her cheek, then her jawline and then her neck until he was caressing her sensitive skin, brushing away her moist hair for better access.

She handed herself to him on a silver platter, moaning shamelessly when she felt his canines growing and pressing against her, threatening to break her skin and draw blood. He must be so drained and exhausted from this fight… he _needed_ it.

Still, at the very same time, he had never felt stronger and more determined, his doubts fading with every second that passed.

“I love you too… so much…”

Tal flinched when he bit her, drinking her blood with relish while at the same time, she guided his hard member to her entrance, sinking down on it painfully slow. He moaned against her neck when she sheathed him deep inside her, her hips bucking and moving to ride him while he drank from her.

Several, blissful moments seemed to pass until he pulled away, his canines slowly retreating. Adam rested his forehead against Tal’s, a drop of blood decorating the corner of his mouth.

She smiled when she wiped it away and then placed her soft hands on his chest for better support. Her beige eyes met his—turning back to the stunning blue she loved so much.

“If I do it… I want you to know that I’ll be there for you. No matter what. I will protect you with my life if that’s what it takes to prevent you from becoming what I used to be a long time ago.”

Tal frowned, a little confused before realising what he was talking about. He wanted it. He finally wanted it. He wanted to turn her. Her face lit up and although her excitement mixed with instant fear of what it would feel like, she never stopped riding him.

It was getting harder for him to speak. He would cum inside her soon, marking her as his and she would follow him down the abyss. Her clit kept grazing his pubic bone with every thrust he met her with, her own breathing increasing and her cheeks reddening from the pleasure building in her body.

“But I have a condition too.” Adam murmured, looking into her beige eyes deeply.

“Anything,” she began out of breath. “Adam, I want to spend eternity with you… please let me.”

“Will you marry me?”

Tal’s heart skipped a beat. She could still feel Adam pumping into her and meeting her hips, she could feel a trickle of blood running down her neck and over her naked breasts… everything but those four little words ceased to exist around her.

Finally, she gasped for air, her lips parting and forming a shy smile. There were tears swimming in her eyes when she met his gentle gaze, her fingers playing with his black hair.

“Yes. Adam, yes! Of course!”

Breathing heavily, he would have replied if it weren’t for his orgasm tearing through him at the very same moment. Lust was pulsating through his veins, making him blind for a few blissful seconds. Tal moaned when she noticed him spurting his warm seed deep inside her. It was enough to trigger her own orgasm.

Like a star, she exploded around him, milking his cock until there was nothing left and pulsating around him again and again. None of them moved when the moment passed, their bodies still united and unwilling to come apart again just yet.

Anxiety returned, creeping up towards her and hugging her wet body from behind. _He was going to do it._

“I… I need to die for it to work, right?” She breathed out, stuttering a little when she did.

Adam nodded.

“H-how?”

“The most… peaceful option would it be for me to drink from you until there is barely any blood left to pump through your heart. It will be like falling asleep.” _And awaking as something new._

Determination sparkled in her beige eyes when she pressed her lips together to a thin line.

“Do it.”

In the end, perhaps it had been good Ava had showed up to mess with their life and their love. Adam couldn’t protect her from supernatural threats forever—he couldn’t even protect her from all of those disgusting zombies. Tonight, when she opened her eyes again, she would be strong and powerful—not just mentally, that she already was—but also physically.

Adam nodded once more. He was scared, to say the least. Even if he fed her his blood, he would be the one to take her life. It would be like cutting a thin thread with a single bite and yet, the thought of letting her drink his blood filled him with arousal once more.

Taking a deep breath, he bit his wrist and ripped open his pale skin. Blood was pouring from the wound so he quickly reached for her before it could close again. Tal moaned when the red liquid wetted her lips. A little hesitant at first, she took a hold of his arm and closed her eyes, sucking his blood out of his body.

She expected to feel nauseous, her stomach protesting but nothing alike happened. Instead, she moaned upon learning his taste. So sweet, so rich, so intimate… Tal kept on drinking from him until he retreated. Only now did she realise he was panting—and he was getting hard again inside her.

“Do you really want this?” He asked again, his voice hoarse and throaty.

“I do. Please.”

Adam pulled out of her. Cradling her on his lap, he brushed away the dark curtain of her hair and exposed the open wound his fangs had caused only moments ago. He would hold her tightly. He could not possibly let her die alone.

Breathing in heavily one last time, he attended to her neck again. His gums were pulsating with need where his canines pressed against his lips. _Make her yours, take her… bind her to you forever._

And so he did. The vampire broke her sensitive skin once more, drinking, drinking and drinking. He was listening to her heartbeat. It was fading. Pause. Beat. Pause. Pause. Beat. Pause. Pause. Silence.

 

Tallulah smiled when she read the cover of the book Adam had given her and packed it in her suitcase. He had booked two flight tickets yesterday, surprising her with a trip to Greece—travel by night, of course.

She had learned the hard way yesterday what the sun did to her skin. Only a few beams had been sufficient to burn it off completely, leaving behind singed blood and tissue on her hand. It had healed of course, only a few minutes after but now, she was definitely going to be a lot more careful in the morning.

She didn’t miss the sun—not when she was with Adam. The moon kept them company when they made love, when they kissed and spent time with each other. He never left her alone. When she had awoken again, her eyes not brown, not gold but something in between and her fangs growing painfully, he had soothed her with his voice, promising she would be fine.

The hunger had almost killed her. Demanding and greedy, requiring all of her attention. She became faster, stronger, more impulsive… and Adam had handed her a blood bag she had devoured in mere seconds.

It was a lot better now, with him helping her control her thirst. Without him, so Tal figured, she would have slipped down an abyss just like Ava.

She heard him before he had reached her, her ears now so sensitive she could hear the mice in the basement. Closing her eyes with relish, she allowed him to wrap his arms around her body, burying his face in her neck and inhaling her scent.

Her body was still ravishing, seducing. If only he could, he would tie her to his bed and sleep with her until she passed out from all the orgasms he gave her and her blood… her blood tasted even better now.

Tal flinched when he sank his canines into her flesh and started sucking, eliciting promising moans from her. Giggling to herself, she turned on her heel and pushed him back, her new-won strength surprising him every so often. Growling threateningly, she grew her own fangs and buried them deep in his neck, tasting her fiancé’s blood.

“Are you ready?” He murmured when she released him, licking a few drops of his blood off of her lips.

Their wedding would take place in Santorin. At night, under the stars, right on the beach. Adam knew that Eve would be with them too, looking down at them from wherever she had gone. He had made the right choice—and now, he didn’t regret it for a second.

Tallulah was perfect. His perfect, perfect woman.

Nodding, she gave him a cordial smile. It almost hurt, realising how much they loved each other, the night they had met like a strike of fate right into their hearts. Now, together, they would explore the world just like she had promised— _forever._

“I am.” She replied sweetly. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it goes. I enjoyed writing this story so much and I promise, in time, there will be some Imagines with Adam on my Tumblr. I hope you guys liked the last chapter. Thank you all so much for reading, liking and commenting, it really means a lot! Love you all; and if you liked this story, would you care to support me a little by buying me a cuppa? I would appreciate it so much! http://www.ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr! @sserpente


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